


Higher

by GriffinRose



Series: The Black Paladin [4]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Survivors, Angst, Badass Lance, Blood, Bounty Hunters, Druids, Earth Reunions, Elemental Magic, Explosions, Gen, Happy Ending, History of Voltron, Little bit of blood, Major Character Injury, Mild Gore, More like Space Trips, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outer Space, Road Trips, Sequel, Team as Family, badass allura, tough times ahead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 14:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 63,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11381862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GriffinRose/pseuds/GriffinRose
Summary: Shiro's back and the team is ready to get back to saving the universe. Only problem is, the Universe isn't quite on board with that. Which is a shame, because Haggar is more ruthless than Zarkon ever was. And she's got her sights on a certain planet in the Milky Way.Meanwhile, Lotor runs into one Samuel Holt while drifting aimlessly, and the little human inspires him to fight back against Haggar. They embark on a space trip to join Voltron and hopefully find Sam's missing crew mates.





	1. Let's Get this Show on the Road

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I know I said I'd have this up by the end of June but in my defense dates mean nothing to me and I just associated this weekend with the end of June, so, technically, it's still on time. (I also couldn't for the life of me pick a title but that's neither here nor there)

Lance ducked under a blast and caught another with his shield. Heart racing, he sprinted through the course, jumping over boxes and ducking under lasers. He rounded a corner and leaned back, dropping and sliding on his knees under the swing of the gladiator’s staff.

 

 _Since when was the gladiator on the course?_ he thought angrily. He’d been forced to run through this thing all week and it had never been there before! He jumped back up to his feet, summoned his bayard, turned on his heel and shot the thing on principle. It dissolved into particles and he continued on.

 

“Nice job, Lance!” Shiro called from the observation deck. Everyone else was watching up there.

 

He was still angry as he completed the rest of the course and slammed his hand on the finish button. The course blinked and sank down into the floor.

 

“Whose idea was that?” Lance demanded, glaring up at the windows. He could just barely make out his team.

 

“Allura’s, who else?” Pidge responded.

 

“Testing reactions to unknown variables, blah, blah, blah,” Hunk added.

 

Lance groaned. He should have known.

 

“You handled it perfectly,” Keith commented.

 

The compliment should _not_ be making him feel all warm inside. And if it was, it was only because his rival noticed his _epic_ performance.

 

“Alright, Lance come up here. Pidge, you’re up,” Shiro said.

 

The two of them traded places, and Lance watched her run through the course. The gladiator wasn’t put in the same spot for her; Hunk programmed it to appear earlier, so she’d still have to deal with a surprise attack. Not as much of a surprise from not expecting _any_ attack, but still.

 

Damn Allura and her training ideas. Just because she doesn’t have to do them anymore…

 

It had been a week since Shiro had come back, and things were pretty much back to normal. They’d been taking a few days to train and get back in sync with one another, while also lying low and seeing what Haggar’s next move would be.

 

None of them could predict what she would do. She didn’t have the same obsession with Voltron that Zarkon had had, and they didn’t have the first clue what her first target would be. Them? Other rebels? More planets and systems? So far, everything had been quiet. There wasn’t anything unusual within the empire. It was business as usual.

 

It was driving Lance insane, like they were just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

Pidge’s swearing echoed around the control room. She must have run into the gladiator then.

 

“Oooh, that’s going to leave a mark,” Hunk winced.

 

Lance peeked over to see her picking herself off the ground, rubbing the back of her hand against her chin, and then charging low to slam her bayard under the chest of the droid. It disintegrated, and she ran on.

 

“What level is it on?”

 

“Level 2,” Shiro said. He had a single-minded focus while they were running the course, never taking his eyes off anyone for a moment. Lance was lucky he was paying attention enough to answer him.

 

Level two wasn’t very high, but it was a start considering it _came out of quiznaking nowhere_. Seriously. Lance needed to have words with Allura about this type of thing.

 

“You okay?” Keith asked him quietly.

 

“Huh? Yeah, peachy,” Lance said.

 

Keith frowned and glanced out the window. “You just…seem upset, or something.”

 

Ah, Keith. His complete lack of understanding of human emotions was endearing, sometimes.

 

This was not one of those times.

 

“That would be because I am. The course is hard enough without adding a surprise element to it,” Lance said.

 

“It adds more realism,” Keith shrugged. “If we’re infiltrating a supposedly abandoned base or something, it’s good to be prepared for a surprise drone.”

 

“Don’t use your logic with me,” Lance stated, crossing his arms. It did make sense. They should always be prepared for something like this. He was just mad he was the guinea pig. And maybe he was a little on edge from the last few days.

 

Keith stared at him, huffed, and glared in the other direction.

 

It was a good thing Shiro was so focused on Pidge, otherwise he’d probably be getting yelled at right now. As it was, Hunk was giving him a disapproving look.

 

Whatever. He’d apologize later, probably.

 

Thankfully, Pidge was the last run for the day. She came up a few minutes later and Shiro gave some final pointers for all of them before telling them to hit the showers before dinner.

 

Hunk grabbed his shoulder before they walked out with the others.

 

“Yeah, I know, I’ll apologize to Keith,” Lance said.

 

“Oh, yeah, you totally should, but I was going to say maybe instead of hitting the showers you go to the pool and take a swim. Being in the water helps you relax, right? You look like you need to destress.”

 

That wasn’t a bad idea at all, except for the part where the pool was on the ceiling. But maybe if he messed with it a little he could figure it out.

 

“Thanks, Hunk, I think I will.”

 

Hunk beamed, and they walked off to their rooms together. Hunk detailed the meal he was going to try and make for dinner, mostly just thinking out loud to himself. He didn’t even notice when they separated at his door, just kept rambling even with the door shutting behind him.

 

Lance smiled fondly and shook his head, quickly changing into swim trunks and heading for the pool.

 

Like before, the pool was still on the ceiling. Lance didn’t even see any switches for him to try and mess with it.

 

He sighed. Looks like this was a wasted effort.

 

 _You could always make the water come to you,_ Blue suggested in his mind. She also sent some images of the water falling and hovering around him.

 

Oh yeah, he supposedly had water powers now that they’d switched lions again.

 

He grinned. This was the perfect time to test that.

 

Pidge, Shiro, and Hunk were the only ones to have figured it out before, but they’d never shared any tips on how to do it. They just…had.

 

“Alright, how hard could it be?”

 

He focused on the water above him and dug into his connection with Blue. He just wanted a handful to drop down, something small and easy…

 

Using his powers was easier than he thought. He got a handful down…times about twenty. The sudden volume surprised him, and he shrieked and lost focus.

 

The water doused him. He coughed and spluttered.

 

Allura came over the speakers. “Paladins, meet me in the control room in ten dobashes.”

 

He dragged a hand over his face and flicked the water off his hand. “Yeah…probably for the best.” He’d play with it more later.

 

Xx

 

Ten dobashes wasn’t a lot of time to change and then get to the control room, but sprinting cut the time in half and he was only two dobashes late at the most.

 

That didn’t stop Allura’s glare. He smiled and finger gunned at her.

 

She rolled her eyes and sighed.

 

“What did you need us for, Princess?” Shiro asked.

 

“I wanted to ask if you feel you are ready to go back on the offensive,” she said. She wore her battle suit, hair pulled up in its bun.

 

The paladins glanced at each other, shrugging and nodding.

 

She smiled and pulled up a screen. “Excellent. Then I believe we should start with gaining more allies.” A planet appeared on the screen, dull red with large orange clouds circling around it. “Hysca would be an ideal ally. They’re close to three major trading posts, and would be able to intercept many important cargo ships.”

 

“Can they fight?” Keith asked.

 

“Yes, though they mostly rely on drone ships,” Allura said. She swiped her hand over the screen and brought up a few more images, this time of a weird pod and an unmanned ship.

 

“It wouldn’t hurt to make contact with them,” Shiro said. “At the very least they’d be a good base for us to use with those trade routes.”

 

“My thoughts exactly,” Allura said. “If you’re willing, I’d like to make contact with them as soon as possible.”

 

“Call ‘em up!” Lance said. _Finally_ they were getting somewhere. It may have only been a week, but it felt like they’d been doing nothing the whole time.

 

Allura turned around and brought up a different screen, typing a few things on it. A dobash later, a larger screen appeared on the monitor at the front of the room. It was static at first, until the picture cleared and revealed the alien on the other side.

 

They seemed to be frog-like, or maybe snake-like, with two eyes bulging on the tops of their heads and broad scaley faces. At least the representative they were talking to was, anyway.

 

“Greetings, I am Princess Allura of the planet Altea,” Allura said.

 

“And I am Vriat, Minister of Hysca,” the alien introduced. “How can I help you?”

 

“Actually, I was hoping we’d be able to help each other,” Allura said. She stepped aside and gestured to the paladins. “These are the Paladins of Voltron, and we’d like to discuss the possibility of an alliance with your people.”

 

The alien turned green. “Voltron?”

 

“Yes, we’re—“ Allura couldn’t even finish her sentence.

 

“No alliance!” Vriat snapped. “Your little rebellion is going to get us all killed! You can’t beat the Galran Empire, so stop wasting lives!”

 

The video cut out, leaving a ringing silence to echo around the room.

 

“Well…he wasn’t very friendly,” Hunk finally said.

 

Allura didn’t turn around to look at them.

 

That could certainly have gone better, Lance supposed. “Hey don’t sweat it, we’ll find a better planet to ally with.”

 

“They have a right to be scared,” Keith said. “Haggar attacked both Arus and Olkari within an hour of taking control of the empire, just because they were our allies.”

 

“Few planets will be keen to ally with us, knowing that,” Allura said. Her fists shook at her sides. From anger or tears, Lance couldn’t say.

 

“So if we can’t get more allies, what do we do?” Pidge asked.

 

“We’ll have to use the allies we already have,” Shiro said. “The Blade of Marmora is good at infiltration missions, we can ask them to keep an eye on those posts around Hysca.”

 

“They’re not going to like being ordered around,” Keith stated.

 

“We’re working for the same goal,” Pidge said.

 

Keith shrugged and refused to say more. _Of course, because why would Keith ever quiznaking explain anything?_

 

He sort of got what Keith was saying, though. He didn’t take Kolivan for the following orders type.

 

“Perhaps we had better take some time to think of a new strategy,” Allura said. She still wouldn’t face them.

 

Lance frowned. That wasn’t like her.

 

“Okay…” Shiro said, also frowning at her. The paladins shared looks with each other. They were all shaken by how quickly they’d been shut down, but Allura seemed to be taking it personally.

 

“Let’s give her some space,” Keith said.

 

The others nodded, and one by one they filed out of the room.

 

Lance was last, hesitating in the doorway and looking back. Allura definitely needed some time to get her feet back under her, but…

 

He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She jumped and tensed in his arms.

 

“You looked like you needed a hug,” Lance said.

 

She relaxed a little. “What I need is a new strategy. If people aren’t willing to help us fight…if they’re truly content with the way things are…is there even a reason for us to keep fighting? Should we just…let things be?”

 

“No way,” Lance said immediately. “Remember the Balmera? They were content with things, but they were also super happy when we gave them their freedom.”

 

She smiled a little. Progress.

 

“And I don’t think any planets not under Galra control would be too happy with them invading and taking over. We need to fight for them, too.”

 

He would never let the Galra take control of Earth. Never.

 

She nodded. “Yes, you’re right.”

 

“We might be more on our own than we thought we would be, but we can do this. We can do more stealth missions, or free some more planets. Some big fighter planets that aren’t afraid to protect themselves, maybe.”

 

“Yes, perhaps it would be better to focus on planets that will be able to defend themselves, at least long enough for us to arrive,” Allura said. She straightened in his arms and gently pushed him off, bringing up another screen. “Thank you, Lance. I think I did need that hug.” She smiled back at him.

 

“Any time, Princess.” He felt more relaxed, too. Maybe he’d needed one as well.

 

He turned to walk out, leaving her to get back to it, when she asked him to send Matt in. Matt had been working on a brace for his knee so he wouldn’t have to use a crutch anymore, and he’d hardly been out of his workshop all week.

 

“If he throws another wrench at me for disturbing him I’m throwing it at you!” Lance warned. Matt was worse than Pidge when he was in his workshop. Lance still had the bruise from getting him for dinner a few days ago.

 

“Duly noted,” Allura said.

 

Lance grumbled and the doors closed behind him. After he got Matt he’d go take his shower, and he’d test out his water bending, too.

 

He grinned to himself. He always knew he was a water bender.


	2. In Which the Author Abuses Italics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith learns just how bad he is at this communication thing, and Lotor meets a weird alien named Sam.

To say their conversation with Vriat had been disappointing was an understatement. Keith still felt that sickening hollow feeling in his stomach now, half an hour later. He’d been trying to teach himself Altean using a modified flashcard system Pidge rigged in anger one day, but he couldn’t focus.

 

If he was this bothered by what had happened, he could only assume everyone else was, too. He still had the urge to go check on all of them, make sure they were okay, even though Shiro was back.

 

So, he decided, why the Quiznak not?

 

He sought out Pidge first, finding her in her lab like usual. She barely glanced up at his entrance.

 

“What’s up?” she asked.

 

He shrugged. “Just checking up on everyone. You okay?”

 

“We have no idea what Haggar is planning and our first attempt to do something about it blew up in our faces, why wouldn't I be okay?” Pidge asked. She spared a moment to glare at him before turning back to her laptop.

 

Keith blinked. He was just going to take that as a no… “You want to talk about it?”

 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Pidge said. She hunched over her laptop a little more. “It’s us and a couple rebels against the entire universe I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

 

Keith slowly nodded. Clearly, this was only making her more riled up. He should probably try and talk about something else. “What are you working on?”

 

“Hacking nearby ships to see what their latest orders were. I’m hoping to figure out if Haggar has started something and we simply haven’t noticed.”

 

“Huh, that’s a great idea,” Keith said. “Any luck yet?”

 

“Getting into the ships’ databases is easy,” Pidge said, waving a hand dismissively. “But so far there haven’t been any interesting orders, just the typical ‘Patrol this sector’ and ‘Pick up this shipment.’”

 

“So either we’re just not close enough to where the action is happening, or…” Keith wasn’t even sure what else could explain why the empire was all business as usual.

 

“Or Haggar is planning something really big to take us down,” Pidge finished.

 

Keith didn’t want to consider that possibility. “Well, whatever she throws at us, we can handle it.” He hoped.

 

Pidge nodded. With no further conversation forthcoming, she was already wrapping herself up in her work again.

 

Keith patted her shoulder and stood up. “Let us know if you find anything.”

 

She rolled her eyes and waved him off.

 

He made his way to the kitchen, where he knew Hunk would be.

 

A mess of pots and pans were strewn over the counters and dustings of alien flour substitute spotted…well, everywhere. Hunk had a dash of it on his cheek, even.

 

“Uh…what happened in here?” Keith asked. He was afraid to take more than a few steps in.

 

“Oh, hey Keith! Dinner should be ready in like…half a varga, and I’m working on something special for dessert.” Hunk beamed from where he was standing over a mixing bowl.

 

Keith would be the first to admit he was terrible at reading people. Hunk, thankfully, was easier than most, especially after getting to know him a little. The other boy liked to cook and bake to destress, and with everything going on it was never a surprise to find him in the kitchen. Usually Hunk kept things neat and orderly, though, so whenever the kitchen was a disaster…

 

Well. It usually meant Hunk’s mental state was much the same.

 

 _Quiznak,_ Keith thought. _I might be in over my head with this one_. “You, um, need any help?”

 

Hunk looked around the kitchen. His cheeks turned a little pink. “If you’ve got nothing else to do, I could use a hand cleaning up?”

 

That was as good a place to start as any. Keith gathered some of the various pans and took them over to the sink, washing them without another word. Hunk kept muttering to himself while he mixed whatever he was making, occasionally adding more ingredients. It was some kind of batter, that was all Keith knew.

 

Keith had mostly finished the dishes when Hunk poured the batter into a pan and slipped it into the oven.

 

“There we go, get all nice and toasty. Mmm this is going to be delicious. And I can’t wait to see Allura and Coran’s faces when I light it up!”

 

There were sometimes Keith wondered how Hunk and Lance made such good friends, and then Hunk acts like this and Keith understands.

 

“What do you mean ‘light it up?’” Keith asked. He set last pan down and picked up a rag to start cleaning up the flour patches.

 

“You know baked Alaska?” Hunk grinned.

 

It took a tick for Keith to get what Hunk was saying, and then he laughed. “Why am I even surprised you know how to make that?”

 

“I don’t know, man. Never doubt my cooking knowledge.”

 

“Clearly,” Keith snorted. He shook his head. “What are you lighting it up with? I’ve never seen anything resembling a lighter on this ship.”

 

Hunk opened his mouth, paused, and then he crumpled to the floor. “ _Oh my Quiznak I forgot to make sure there’s a lighter._ I’m a sham! I’m a disgrace!”

 

Keith held up his hands like he was facing a wild animal. “Hey, it’s okay, we’ll find something!” And if worst came to worst, there was always his fire power. They’d light that cake one way or another. “There’s still time to look around, right?”

 

Hunk sniffed and looked up. Tears pooled in his eyes, but he nodded. Keith held out a hand to help him up. Hunk calmed down while they searched, opening cabinets and pulling out drawers. The longer they searched, however, the more anxious Hunk became.

 

“What if we can’t find anything? The whole thing will be ruined! It’ll just be Alaska! I can’t serve Alaska!”

 

“Hunk, calm down,” Keith said. At this point he didn’t think the Alteans had any kind of lighter, or if they did it wasn’t recognizable to the humans. Either way… “I can light it for you.”

 

“What? You have a lighter? Why didn’t you say anything before?” Hunk asked.

 

“I don’t have one, I _am_ one, remember?” Keith asked. He summoned a small flame in his palm to prove his point.

 

And then he quickly realized a few things. Firstly, he had never actually told anyone about his firepowers. Secondly, brazenly summoning fire in front of someone who does not know you can do such a thing is a _terrible_ way to tell them about said powers.

 

“ _Holy Quiznak what the hell man?_ ” Hunk demanded, taking a startled step backwards. “How long have you been able to do that?”

 

Keith put the fire back out and closed his palm. “I…since we found Matt.”

 

Hunk blinked at him. “You mean to tell me. You have had fire powers for almost a month. And you _never told anybody?_ ”

 

Oh Keith was in so much trouble, wasn’t he? “Uhh…yes?”

 

Hunk stepped towards him and put his hands on either side of Keith’s face. “Keith. Keith you incredible, massive moron. _This is the kind of thing you tell your team_.” He was shaking Keith’s head a little by the end of it.

 

“To be fair, I was supposed to be bonded to Black at the time, not Red,” Keith said. He attempted to pry Hunk’s hands off his face, to no avail.

 

“That’s all the more reason to tell us, dude! If Red was more bonded to you than Black was, that was something we needed to know! That affects the rest of us.”

 

Keith finally slipped his face out from Hunk’s hold, taking a step back and crossing his arms. “I didn’t want to let you guys down as leader. I thought I could…I don’t know, switch things on my own, I guess.”

 

“But you aren’t alone, that’s what I’m trying to get at here,” Hunk said. “We worry about you whether you tell us what’s going on or not, but at least when you tell us what’s going on we can actually help.”

 

Keith chewed on his lip, tossing the words over. He’d heard similar sentiments from Shiro for years now, but somehow, coming from Hunk after everything that had happened lately, it seemed like more of an option.

 

“At the very least, just tell one of us what’s going on,” Hunk said. He grabbed a pair of oven mitts and moved to take dinner out of the oven. “And then you and whoever you tell can decide if it’s worth telling everyone else.”

 

Keith nodded. That seemed really doable. He knew his communication skills needed work…maybe this was the place to start. “I’ll try and do better.”

 

Hunk beamed. “Great! Now, since we have to tell the others about your cool firepowers anyway and I am going to need you to light up this baked Alaska, I have a _fantastic_ idea for later.” He had that terrible shit-eating grin Keith usually associated with Lance on his face.

 

There was no questioning that those two were best friends.

 

Xx ( _A/N: TW: Brief paragraph about suicide ideation in this section. Just so you’re aware. I’ll put TW in front of it and at the end in case you want to skip it.)_

 

He was going to run out of fuel soon. Escape pods weren’t meant to traverse the universe forever. The only reason Lotor had gotten as far as he had was because he’d shut power and drifted most of the time, ignoring the growing hunger pangs and rationing out the little water available to him. But it had been a full Spicolian movement; he couldn’t hold out forever.

 

Where in the universe could the ex-prince of the empire go, though? Any planet not taken over by the Galra would never welcome him, and any planet already conquered would be forced to turn him in.

 

He dragged a hand through his hair again and then grimaced at his hand. It had been far too long since his last shower. He was absolutely filthy. Not like it mattered, since no one could see him.

 

Maybe if he could find a planet on the outer edge of the empire, some place not likely to recognize him…it would at least suffice until he could think of something better.

 

“And where am I going to find a place like that?” Lotor asked himself, leaning back in his seat and staring up the ceiling.

 

For lack of anything else to do, he pulled up charts of nearby systems and started flicking through them. Nothing habitable, too many people, too many patrols…it was terrible, having the whole universe against him like this.

 

The next planet was one of the labor camps. If Lotor remembered right, this one was a mining camp for an ore the surrounding system found valuable. It was worthless to the Galra; it wasn’t strong enough for their ships, tore too easily under blaster fire, but the system used it for their buildings and local transport vehicles.

 

For the most part, the camp went unwatched from the main empire. Its main use was punishment for prisoners, and the empire was able to keep tabs on how much the system had in its stocks.

 

He sat up in his seat a little. If he was going to hide out anywhere for a few days, this would be the place. They were far enough on the edges of the empire it was unlikely anyone would recognize him. He could clean himself up a little, arrive on the pretense of a surprise inspection…no, no that wouldn’t work, they’d want to know why he was alone…he could pretend to be related to one of the guards, here to visit them. That could work.

 

Plan in motion, he set a course for the planet. There wasn’t much he could do to spruce up his appearance, but he used up the last of his water to at least wash his face, and then he combed out his hair with his fingers to the best of his ability and tied it up in a pony-tail. Now he just had to hope none of them had a good sense of smell, and they’d never notice his poor state.

 

His hands shook as he guided the pod through the atmosphere. A transmission burst over the pod.

 

“Unidentified ship, state your ID and purpose.”

 

“I’m here on a friendly visit, I promise,” Lotor said.

 

There was a pause before the voice came back, not long, but long enough for Lotor to grow suspicious. Usually these conversations were quick.

 

“We have no record of anyone coming today,” the voice said. “Please leave and return with proper authentication.”

 

That…was not how the script went. Lotor frowned and peered out over the landscape. It was a mountainous planet; all the mining took place underground, so there wasn’t much for him to see from up here.

 

“Who is this?” Lotor asked.

 

“I could ask you the same question. You do not have permission to land.”

 

Well that was too bad, he was going to anyway. But clearly trying to pass as someone’s relative wasn’t going to work. Since this was an actual person, maybe he could try the sympathy card. “Please, I’m a refugee. I’ve been in this pod for days. I’m running out of food and water.”

 

There was another pause, much longer this time. He flew a little lower, finding a landing strip and heading towards it.

 

“Alright, you can land, but you have to come out immediately unarmed with your hands in the air.”

 

That was fair enough. Lotor set the pod down and took a deep breath. He was still shaking as he exited the pod, hands up as requested. He kept his blaster within easy reach.

 

A few people came out to meet him, but not one of them was Galra. The tallest one, a six-armed avian creature, held a tray of goo and water. Lotor’s eyes went to it immediately, and it was only years of diplomatic training that kept him from pouncing on it right away.

 

“Well, he’s not lying about the starving part,” one of them commented.

 

“Go ahead and let him eat,” a third said.

 

The tray moved closer to Lotor, and he snatched it and plopped down on the ground, slurping up the food goo and downing the water. It was terrible, the goo slimy and rubbery, the water stale with a faint residual taste of the package.

 

It was the best meal he’d ever had.

 

“Thank you,” Lotor said, finishing the water and looking up at them. Now that he wasn’t quite so distracted, he could take in the others.

 

Aside from the six armed avian, there was a reptilian creature with a scaly ruffle around its neck that kept flaring up, and a pale two-armed creature with glass circles on wire frames resting on his nose. The way the sandy hair flopped from the top of his head reminded Lotor of himself and Haggar, and the beautiful blue-eyed paladin of Voltron. Briefly, he wondered if perhaps the paladin and this stranger were the same species.

 

“You’re Galra, aren’t you?” the reptilian creature asked.

 

Lotor hesitated. There wasn’t any point in denying it though, no matter the consequences it would bring. “Yes, I am.”

 

“I knew it,” the avian said. His feathers flared up behind him and he dropped down on all six arms. “We never should have wasted food on you.”

 

“Where are the Galra in charge here?” Lotor asked. He pushed himself to his feet, a harder task than he’d thought it would be. “Why’d they have you greet me?”

 

“We got rid of ‘em months ago,” the reptilian one said. His tongue snaked out at him. “Place has been a downright paradise ever since.”

 

“But occasionally a scout ship or two comes by,” the pale one said. He played with the odd glasses on his face. “I try to keep them from landing, give them some reason to go away or what have you. It doesn’t always work.”

 

“So we take care of the few ships that do land,” the avian said. He prowled forward. “Many of us were gladiators. You shouldn’t have taught us to fight.”

 

Ironically, that had been a concern of Lotor’s for years now. Why would you want your prisoners to be able to fight back? The ones that were usually strong enough to fight back though were usually too far gone to ever care about leaving, too used to their current way of life and hooked on the bloodlust. The rest didn’t typically survive long enough to try.

 

Perhaps he should have voiced his concern a little louder.

 

“So you mutinied against your captors,” Lotor said. “And you plan to kill me now simply because I’m Galra.”

 

“You’re not just any Galra, if I recall,” the avian said. “You’re the prince everyone is talking about, right?”

 

Blast, so even here they’d heard about it?

 

“Pity we can’t turn you in for the reward,” the reptile said. “But we don’t want them getting suspicious of what’s going on out here.”

 

( _TW)_ “I’d rather you just killed me,” Lotor mumbled, rolling his eyes. He’d said it without thinking, but honestly…it didn’t seem like that bad of an idea. There was nowhere for him to go in the universe, and Haggar had brutally beaten him before, so there was no chance of him getting his throne back. What was the point of his life? It would be easier if he were just gone. ( _TW)_

 

“Oh don’t worry, that’s not a problem,” the avian said. One of his arms pulled out a knife from his belt.

 

Lotor closed his eyes and bowed his head. He didn’t have much honor left after running away from Haggar, but he could die with that last little bit.

 

“Hold on,” the pale creature said.

 

Lotor glanced up at him. The other two glanced back at him, flabbergasted.

 

The pale one’s eyes met his own. “You’re not even going to try and defend your life?”

 

“It’s a welcome change of pace, can I get on with it now?” the avian said.

 

“No, I want the whole story,” the pale one said. “What did the prince do to exile himself from his own empire.”

 

“Killing the emperor can have that effect,” Lotor stated dryly.

 

The knife the avian held lowered slightly. “Come again?”

 

Lotor told them everything, how he’d realized his people were terrible tyrants the rest of the universe feared, and how in a moment of inspiration he’d decided to kill his father and take his place, to try and lead the empire in a more peaceful direction. He just hadn’t counted on Haggar’s grief lashing out at him quite so strongly.

 

“So you killed your own father, and the second things went wrong you just gave up?” the pale one demanded. “You didn’t think you could join a rebel alliance and help lead them? You know the ins and outs of the empire! Your knowledge could mean the rebels actually stand a chance!”

 

“Sam, calm down,” the reptilian one said.

 

Sam…what an odd name, Lotor thought. More accurately, what an odd creature. Him, join the rebels? “The second the rebels see me I’d be shot on sight.”

 

He could just imagine how well that meeting would go with Voltron. “Hello, Lotor here. I’m on your side now, so please don’t kill me?”

 

Sam shook his head. “Unbelievable. No backbone at all, what kind of Galra are you?”

 

Lotor bristled on principle. “Excuse you, I am the prince, and I—“

 

“The prince who ran away the second he was challenged,” Sam retorted. “You could be such a huge asset to the rebels! Who better to take down the empire than the emperor’s son?”

 

It…did make sense. Lotor did know more about the inner workings of the empire than Voltron could ever hope to know, even with the rebel spies sneaking around central command. And Voltron was supposed to be merciful…they’d hear him out at least, right?

 

He chewed on his lip. “Do you truly think I can make things right?”

 

Sam smiled and stepped forward. “You know, if you spend all your time worrying about what might go wrong, you might miss the chance to do something great. There’re a lot of people in this universe who need your help.”

 

It was what he’d been so hell-bent on doing only a week ago. Voltron still wasn’t likely to listen, but trying was better than rolling over and dying.

 

“Okay,” Lotor said. “I’ll…I’ll seek out Voltron and see if they’ll let me help them.”

 

“Voltron? It’s really back?” the avian asked.

 

Lotor smiled and nodded. “I’ve seen it myself.”

 

“Hah! The empire doesn’t stand a chance!” the avian said.

 

The avian and reptile celebrated a little, but Lotor noticed Sam not joining in.

 

Sam looked over at him. “Even though you’re banished, would you still have access to prisoner logs throughout the empire?”

 

“Yes, probably,” Lotor said. “I’m not sure I’d be able to access them remotely, though.” Some of Sam’s family must have been arrested and separated from him, then. A common tale.

 

“But you’d have clearance to search them if we were there?” Sam persisted.

 

“Yes…but I’m not sure the two of us sneaking from prison to prison is a good idea,” Lotor said. Sam was wearing bulky clothing, but he didn’t look like much. He wouldn’t trust this man to have his back in a firefight.

 

Sam nodded and looked at the pod in thought. “No, probably not. That sounds more like a job for this Voltron.”

 

“Yes, I imagine they go breaking prisoners out often,” Lotor said. “If you tell me who you’re looking for, I could ask them—“

 

“I’ll ask them myself when I see them,” Sam said, turning back to Lotor. “That is, if you don’t mind a partner.”

 

“What?” the avian said. “Sam, you can’t be serious.”

 

“We all want off this rock,” Sam said, voice bitter. “Rucblu will have finally ferried the last of us in just a few more trips, and there aren’t any patrols scheduled between now and then. You’ll be fine if I leave a little early.”

 

Lotor blinked. Rucblu was one of the other planets in this system, presumably one that used the ore they mined here. It would make sense if they were aware of the prisoner’s mutiny. They’d probably taken over mining operations while slowly getting the prisoners out, putting the operations back in their own hands.

 

Sneaky, but very effective. With the empire ignoring such a backwoods system, it could take years before they ever realized something was wrong, especially if they’d been diverting curious ships the whole time.

 

“So, what do you say?” Sam asked. “Got room for one more in this little pod?”

 

“It needs to be refueled and restocked…”

 

Sam waved a hand. “We can handle that. We could even take a bigger ship if you like, from one of the previous curious types.”

 

One of the crews they’d killed when they landed, Lotor interpreted. He couldn’t find it in himself to care if it meant they’d be using something with leg room. And after the last week of isolation, a partner sounded wonderful.

 

Lotor nodded. “Yes, a bigger ship would be nice. And if you truly wish to come along, I have no complaints.”

 

“Excellent. Let me grab my things.” The man was off like a shot.

 

Lotor wondered if he had time to shower or even just jump in a lake before Sam came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo what do you think of Lotor and Sam going on a space road trip? Are you excited? You should be excited.


	3. The Spiders are Friendly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares, weblums, spider people, and Sam Holt is a Badass and you should FEAR HIM

Despite what many people thought, Keith was actually a really deep sleeper. He simply didn’t sleep much compared to other people. That was why he kept the knife under his pillow; if anything did come after him, he probably wouldn’t realize it until it was right on top of him.

 

That was exactly what happened this particular night. His room bordered Shiro’s, and he’d been woken up by Shiro kicking the wall during a nightmare before. The loud thud and the vibrations were enough to wake him.

 

This was the first time he’d been woken up from Shiro kicking _him_ though.

 

He startled, hand reaching for his knife and body jumping up. While his heart rate returned to normal, he scanned his room for the intruder. Everything was still.

 

He put the knife down and ran a hand through his hair, eyes roaming over his bed.

 

There were three feet at the foot of his bed.

 

He yelped and jumped up, snatching his blankets as he went. The leg attached to the foot disappeared into the wall, and it took Keith’s still sleepy mind a moment to work out what he was seeing.

 

In that time, the foot jerked back and vanished to the other side.

 

Keith blinked. “Shiro?”

 

He dropped his blankets and ran out of his room, hurtling himself through Shiro’s door. Thank god Shiro never locked it.

 

Shiro was twisting and turning in his sleep, covered in a cold sweat. Every few moments he made some kind of pained sound.

 

“Shiro!” Keith said. He plopped down on the edge of the bed and grabbed Shiro’s shoulders. “Shiro you have to wake up, it’s just a nightmare! Shiro!” Shaking Shiro wasn’t getting him anywhere, with all the tossing and turning Shiro probably didn’t even feel it. “Come on, Shiro!”

 

With one final jerk, his knee slamming into Keith’s back and nearly knocking him off the bed, Shiro woke up. He jack-knifed into a seated position, eyes wide but still unseeing.

 

“Hey, you’re okay,” Keith said, putting his hands on Shiro’s shoulders once more. “Shiro?”

 

“K-keith?” Shiro stuttered. His breathing was still shaky.

 

“Yeah, it’s me. You’re safe.”

 

Shiro took a deep breath and hunched in on himself.

 

Keith adjusted his position so he was next to Shiro instead of facing him, wrapping an arm around Shiro’s shoulders. Shiro leaned into him and buried his face in his hands.

 

“It’s okay, you’re okay. You’re safe.” Keith kept repeating the mantra, voice low and soft.

 

Bit by bit, Shiro calmed down. “Thank you,” he said. His head leaned against Keith’s shoulder. “Sorry I woke you up.”

 

“Don’t be. I’d rather know and help you,” Keith said.

 

“You can go back to bed if you want,” Shiro offered. He made no move to lift his head from its current position.

 

Keith snorted. Like he was going to go back to sleep now? “I’ll stay.”

 

Shiro nodded, expecting nothing less. They scooted back on the bed until their backs were against the headboard, Shiro still curled up against Keith’s side.

 

It wasn’t often Keith was able to comfort Shiro like this, wasn’t often Shiro ever needed it. And Keith would never say he treasured these moments, because it was scary seeing someone as composed as Shiro break down so hard. Still, there was something immensely satisfying at being able to give back to Shiro even a quarter of what Shiro gave him every day.

 

Neither of them said anything, simply enjoying the other’s company. After a while they calmed down enough to fall back asleep, but Keith couldn’t tell you who nodded off first.

 

That was just the way he liked it.

 

Xx

 

Keith and Shiro weren’t the only ones having issues sleeping that night. Up in the control room, Allura was still swiping through planet after planet, looking for one strong enough to defend itself after they cleared out the Galra presence.

 

Unfortunately, the Galra seemed to have done everything in their power to prevent such a thing. Many conquered planets were no longer in control of their own trading; everything needed to be shipped on Galra ships, and having their own fighter jets was prohibited. The ones that were conquered centuries ago were especially reliant on the Galra both for trading and for protection.

 

It made Allura sick to her stomach.

 

Matt had been helping her for a while, the only other person besides Coran who might possibly be familiar with some of the planets. She’d sent him to bed around midnight after catching him yawning one too many times. He tried to make her go to bed as well, but she wasn’t tired. She needed to find a planet, needed to find _something_ for Voltron to do. There had to be people they could help without endangering them further…

 

“Princess, what are you still doing up?” Coran asked. He wore his nightclothes, complete with a long tapered cap over his hair. Two of the mice rode on his shoulders.

 

The little traitors must have ratted her out when she never came to bed.

 

“I haven’t finished searching,” Allura said. She swiped through another planet and read the specs for the new one.

 

Coran put a hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t something you can finish in a single night,” he said gently. “You should get some rest. You’ll need it.”

 

“For what?” Allura snapped. “Voltron’s hands are tied. We can’t do _anything_ right now, not without endangering the very people we’re trying to protect. Why should I be well-rested if we can’t do anything?”

 

Coran took her little tirade in stride, letting her yell and get it out of her system. “You need to be well-rested for when that changes, because I promise you our hands won’t be tied forever. This is a minor setback, that’s all.”

 

She looked off to the side, heart heavy. “I wish Father were here.” He’d know what to do.

 

Coran wrapped her up in a tight hug. “I do too. This is a lot of pressure for so few people.”

 

She clung to him.

 

“I wish I had more answers for you, but we’re just going to have to figure it out together along the way.” He rubbed circles into her back, like he used to do when she was a child. “In the meantime, you should get some rest.”

 

She still didn’t want to go to bed, but the thought of digging through more planet bios was even less appealing now that she’d looked at something else for a few ticks. She really had been staring at those screens for too long…

 

The mice climbed onto her shoulder, patting her face with their paws. She pulled back from Coran and smiled at them. “Thank you, little ones. You’re always looking out for me.”

 

Coran kept an arm around her and steered her out of the control room, guiding her all the way back to her rooms.

 

She paused in her doorway. “Thank you, too, Coran.”

 

He gave a little bow. “It always has been and always will be my pleasure, Princess. Sleep well.”

 

“Sleep well,” she echoed, turning into her room.

 

Xx

 

The next morning, Hunk, along with all the other paladins, had been recruited to help Allura sift through possible planets. It was boring and tedious, but it beat running through the obstacle course for the millionth time.

 

“Man, why are there so many planets in the universe?” Lance complained, sinking farther in his seat. He was almost horizontal at this point.

 

“It is the entire known universe, of course it’s going to be large,” Pidge said. She swiped through a planet and pulled up the next one.

 

Lance groaned, and Hunk returned his attention to his own screen. It wasn’t that bad; at least they were able to learn about the planets, even if it was unlikely they’d be able to remember most of this. Unless he finally found a nacho planet, Hunk would _definitely_ remember a nacho planet.

 

“What about this one?” Keith asked, putting it on the main screen for everyone to look at. “It was only conquered a decade ago, and they used to hire themselves out as mercenaries and bodyguards. Sounds like they’re good fighters.”

 

“You mean they _were_ good fighters,” Lance said.

 

“Hold on, let’s take a closer look,” Allura said. She widened the text boxes, allowing more information to scroll up the screen. “A decaphebe isn’t that long ago…many of their people must still be trained warriors.”

 

“But if that was all they specialized in, what would they have done under Galra control?” Pidge asked.

 

Oh that was not a question Hunk wanted to consider. Especially because he couldn’t think of a happy answer. Unless the people joined Zarkon and helped conquer other planets, Zarkon wouldn’t have had much use for them. And Zarkon was the kind of guy who didn’t keep useless things around.

 

Yeah he really didn’t want to think about that question.

 

“We’ll just have to check—” Shiro was interrupted by an alarm going off.

 

“What? What now?” Hunk demanded. They were due for a fight, he supposed. Outside of training they hadn’t formed Voltron for over a week, since Keith had forced their transformation. That didn’t mean he wanted a fight.

 

Allura minimized the screen with the planet’s information and pulled up another one. “It’s a distress call from the Centari system. They’re under attack from a weblum.”

 

Hunk shivered and shared a quick glance with Keith. He looked as thrilled as Hunk.

 

Coran, Slav, and Matt came running in. The three of them had been working on updating some of the castle systems to more modern tech. It was slow going, especially when they were trying to have it cooperate with the current old technology, but it was necessary. Supplies for such outdated tech were hard to come by, and they couldn’t rely on sketchy pawn shops all the time.

 

Allura quickly filled the trio in as they spread out around the room. Coran went to his control area, Slav hovered near Shiro (and Shiro threw the little guy a nasty look before resigning to his fate), and Matt stood beside Pidge.

 

“So what’s a weblum? Some kind of special ship?” Matt asked.

 

“I wish,” Keith muttered.

 

“Yeah, no, weblums are these giant creatures. It’s what we had to get the scaltrite from for the attack on Zarkon,” Hunk said. He and Keith shivered together. That had not been a fun experience. He was still having nightmares about that.

 

“They feed on rocks,” Coran said. “Usually they keep to asteroids and empty moons or dead planets, but every now and then they target a planet. We have to lead the weblum away; all that vegetation and the people are terrible for its digestive system.”

 

Hunk narrowed his eyes, and he could see everyone else giving Coran the same judgmental look.

 

Coran glanced back at the silence. “Oh, right, we have to save the people on the planet, too!”

 

“Isn’t there a patrol in the Centari system?” Pidge asked.

 

“I’m not seeing anything on the scanners,” Shiro said.

 

“The weblum probably already destroyed them,” Slav said.

 

“I could believe that. It’s got one heck of a defense system,” Hunk said. Keith nodded in agreement. “But if all we have to do is provoke and lead it away, this should be easy.”

 

“Then shall we?” Allura asked, already calling up the wormhole controls.

 

The paladins grinned at each other. It had been far too long since they’d taken on a mission.

 

“Let’s do it!” Lance said.

 

They wormholed a tick later, and the next tick the five of them were heading towards their lions. Yellow greeted Hunk with a deep purr.

 

“I missed you too, buddy,” Hunk said. “We got people to save. Ready to face another weblum?” At least with the rest of the team here, it would be easier to handle.

 

He launched out into space and joined the others. The weblum was as big as he remembered it. Maybe it was the same one? How close were they to where he and Keith had found the other one?

 

“Holy fuck that thing is huge,” Matt said.

 

“We need to get its attention,” Shiro said.

 

Currently, the weblum was bashing its way through what remained of the Galra patrol. But that was only two puny ships-scratch that, one puny ship now.

 

“Hunk, how’d you provoke it before?” Keith asked.

 

“I shot it,” Hunk said. He primed his lasers.

 

“Won’t that hurt it?” Pidge asked. “I thought we were leading it away?”

 

“No, no, this thing’s skin is super thick,” Hunk said.

 

“That makes sense,” Matt said. “It would have to be if it can survive the pressures of space.”

 

“Right, exactly,” Hunk said. He took a few easy shots and _holy Quiznak_ he forgot how easy they were to provoke.

 

He ‘eeped’ when the beast whirled to face him and shot a blue laser at him.

 

“Holy Quiznak what kind of creature is this?” Lance demanded.

 

“It doesn’t matter,” Shiro said. “Just keep its attention on us and lets start leading it away. Coran, where should we lead it?”

 

“There’s an asteroid belt in the next system over.”

 

“Perfect. Team, let’s do this!”

 

It was like the worst game of dodgeball Hunk had ever played. At least the weblum could only shoot one blast at a time, and the lions were speedy; dodging wasn’t an issue as long as they were paying attention.

 

The problem was the weblum wasn’t keen on going anywhere. It wouldn’t follow them.

 

“Come on, you stupid worm!” Pidge yelled.

 

“We have to make it mad!” Shiro said. “Keith, Lance, see if your magma or ice rays have any effect.”

 

“Be careful not to hurt it!” Coran said. “The weblum are rare!”

 

Hunk groaned. Of course it was.

 

Keith and Lance got in position and fired their rays. Ice froze the weblum’s tail, and a long scorch mark trailed over its back.

 

That, finally, made it mad. It screeched and turned towards Keith, barreling through space to chase him.

 

“That’s right, follow me,” Keith said, ducking down under it. It twisted and shot a beam at Keith, flicking its ice encrusted tail at the blue lion. Lance shrieked and barely avoided it.

 

“Alright, go Keith!” Pidge cheered.

 

Hunk let himself relax a little. The rest of the lions followed Keith and the weblum, shepherding them to the next system. Keith did an excellent job of dodging laser beams while staying in range of the angry weblum.

 

When they finally reached the asteroid belt, Keith dove in and weaved among the rocks long enough for the weblum to lose track of him and get distracted by the rocks.

 

He emerged from the belt grinning.

 

“Way to go, Keith!” Hunk said.

 

“Nice work,” Shiro added. “Now let’s get out of here before it spots us again.”

 

It didn’t take long to make it back to the planet they’d been defending. By then Galran reinforcements had arrived.

 

“Paladins, we could use some assistance!” Allura said. The particle barrier was active, and the castle was making a valiant stand against the surrounding ships.

 

“Let’s move!” Shiro said.

 

Hunk surged forward. “Man, where did they even come from?”

 

“Those last few ships must have sent out a distress signal of their own,” Coran said.

 

“You know,” Slav started, earning groans from all of them. “It would be a rather simple thing to send out a virus on their own communication network. It has an eighty-three point seven two percent success rate in over three hundred and ten dimensions.”

 

Hunk wasn’t really paying attention; you learned after a while to just tune out Slav’s ramblings. He smashed into a ship, sending it crashing into another.

 

“Oh my god that’s genius!” Pidge said. “We could take out entire fleets by sending out one message! I can modify the code we used for Zarkon’s central command and --”

 

She took a hard hit and went spinning towards the planet, barely righting herself before the atmosphere grabbed hold of her.

 

“Plan later!” Keith said, jumping in front of her and shooting a ship taking aim at her.

 

It did sound like a great idea. If they could take out enough fleets, it might give some planets enough room to fight back on their own. Assuming they were willing to, of course. He hoped they were willing to. It would be kind of pointless to save a bunch of people that didn’t want to be saved.

 

Shiro took out the last ship.

 

“Excellent work, paladins,” Allura said. “We’ve already received a hailing frequency from the planet below. They wish to speak with us.”

 

“This isn’t going to be some kind of trap to capture the lions, right?” Lance asked.

 

“I don’t think so,” Allura said. “But be ready for anything.”

 

Right, be ready for anything. Easy for her to say. She at least had some idea what these aliens would be like. Hunk didn’t even know if these creatures were humanoid or if he’d be talking to more gator-like aliens. Maybe they could find more mermaids for Lance, although this didn’t seem like an ocean planet. Hopefully they had good taste buds.

 

Turns out the planet was made up of spider people.

 

Pidge shrieked and ducked for cover behind Keith.

 

“Hey, don’t be rude!” Lance said, lightly smacking her shoulder. It wasn’t like he was doing much better, his face a few shades paler than it should be and his gaze pointedly looking anywhere but at the people greeting them.

 

Pidge glared at him but peeked out from behind Keith, offering a watery smile.

 

They weren’t _that_ bad, Hunk thought. It was a little creepy seeing a creature with eight eyes as big as his fist and pincers coming out of a mouth with fangs, and it was also creepy that they didn’t walk on all eight legs. They balanced on the bottom four, using the top four legs like tweezers. They had also evolved so that these top four legs had something like hands on the ends of them, where each leg split into more tweezer-like appendages. They were also black and hairy and okay, maybe he could understand why Pidge was keeping someone in front of her like a prepared sacrifice.

 

“You have our endless thanks,” the supposed leader said. “First for leading the weblum away, and then for taking out the Galra in our system.”

 

“We’re just glad we could help,” Shiro said.  

 

“But if you want to throw us a parade we won’t turn it down,” Lance said.

 

Shiro sent him a glare.

 

“I’m not sure what a parade is, but will a feast suffice?” the leader asked.

 

Hunk’s taste buds watered at the thought. Shiro attempted to turn it down, stating they didn’t want to impose, but the leader wouldn’t hear of it.

 

“Nonsense! You’ll feast with us tonight so we can pay proper gratitude!” he announced. The others gathered around him cheered, and he was quick to send them off to start preparations. “Would you like a tour while we wait for them to prepare?”

 

“That would be wonderful,” Shiro said.

 

And it really was. Their city was made up of egg-like buildings spotted with caves and large webbing spread between them. Bioluminescent crystals glowed a dull amber, attached at regular intervals around the egg-buildings.

 

The crown jewel of the tour though was the hanger. They’d layered their webbing for decaphebes, creating a solid structure to keep their contraband ships where the Galra wouldn’t pry; apparently the smell of the webbing turned them off.

 

“Huh. Do you smell anything, Keith?” Hunk asked.

 

Keith glared at him. “It smells like oranges.”

 

Shiro gave him a funny look. “And you hate oranges…that’s interesting.”

 

That was very interesting, and Hunk would have to remember to ask Keith more about it later. In the meantime, he was sufficiently distracted by the ships.

 

They were out of date models, and many of them still had scorch marks from the blasts that had taken them down. Others were terrifying Frankenstein creations piecing the working parts of various ships together.

 

“What is all this?” Pidge asked, curiosity overcoming her fear of spiders. She inched out from behind Keith and hovered over the closest craft.

 

“We’ve been building our own fleet, in hopes of challenging Zarkon. Progress has been slow. My people are brilliant engineers, but parts are hard to come by.”

 

Hunk felt his own fingers twitching, eager to study the creations in front of him.

 

“Are you in alliance with anyone else?” Shiro asked.

 

“We know of other planets who feel the same way, but we’ve never officially allied with anyone.”

 

It would have been dangerous. Hunk understood that.

 

“Would you be willing to ally yourselves with Voltron then? These ships could come in handy in the future,” Shiro said.

 

Hunk looked over the ships doubtfully. The Galra would know immediately that they were outdated Frankensteins, so he hoped whatever Shiro was planning didn’t involve stealth.

 

“And what would my planet get in return?” the leader asked. Had he ever said a name? Hunk couldn’t remember. He might have been distracted by the giant spider aspect.

 

“We can offer you protection and your continued freedom,” Shiro said. “And we could try and secure supplies you might need.”

 

The leader stroked his mandibles for a long tick. “Very well. You can consider us Xanthors allies.”

 

They all smiled. “That’s great to hear!” Shiro said.

 

The rest of the night was a rush of festivities. The paladins sat up front and were forced to watch most of the population bow and shoot webbing into the air like silly string. And then they were fed an interesting salad of wriggling worms and insects.

 

Lance politely threw up behind his chair.

 

The main course was some kind of meat. Hunk was afraid to ask what it was, but it tasted like flounder so he was content. The sauce drizzled over it was amazing, too, and he’d need to get his hands on the recipe for that.

 

At the end of the night, they were sent off with a few crates of food and Hunk was excited to stock the kitchen. First, he joined everyone in the control room for a debriefing.

 

“How come you never came out, Allura?” Pidge asked.

 

“Partially to see how well you handled the diplomacy without me, and partially because Slav got it into his head to upgrade the ziplines to the lions and Coran needed help stopping him.

 

“Please tell me you succeeded,” Lance groaned.

 

“For now,” Allura said. Now that Hunk was looking closer, he did see that her hair was a little mussed up and she seemed exhausted. It must have been hard keeping that six-armed genius under wraps.

 

“Where is he now?” Shiro asked, voice strained. One of these days Hunk was going to have to ask why Shiro hated the little guy so much.

 

“Coran and I sedated him and put him to bed,” Allura said. The look she gave some distant object on the wall warned the all not to question that decision or say anything more about it.

 

Hunk was just fine with that.

 

Xx

 

It turns out travelling with someone who was abducted by your empire and led his own revolt in a mining colony led for awkward hours in a ship with each other. Lotor should have seen that one coming.

 

The first few vargas weren’t bad. They spent the time planning their course and making simple small talk to get to know each other. He learned Sam was from a planet called Earth, a planet that was barely travelling their own galaxy and barely believed other intelligent life even existed.

 

It sounded like a horrible planet.

 

Lotor explained the beauty of the empire and its quest to unite everyone under one rule, so that no one would have to fight over resources ever again. Even to his own ears it sounded hollow and fake.

 

Sam didn’t believe a word of it anyway. “You’re empire kidnapped me and my crew for no reason and then locked us all up. We were minding our own business, and now my son and Shiro are probably dead and I’ll never see my wife or my little girl. So don’t try and tell me your empire is all that great. You’re bullies, is what you are.”

 

Lotor couldn’t argue. After what he’d seen the last few times he’d been at port, he had to agree. “Why do you think I killed my own father? I’m trying to change all that.”

 

Sam made a funny little ‘humph’ noise and crossed his arms.

 

The cockpit fell into silence, and Lotor didn’t know how to fix it, so it stayed silent for a few vargas more.

 

Sam only deigned to speak to him again when the radar pinged, warning them of a passing patrol ship.

 

“We can go around them easily,” Lotor said.

 

“Or, we can sneak on board and hack their systems, see if they have any news about this Voltron of yours or about my crew. I chose a ship with a cloak for just this reason.”

 

Lotor hesitated. Sam said it so easily, made it sound like the simplest thing in the world.

 

“Well?” Sam asked. “We doing this or not?”

 

Lotor took a deep breath. If he didn’t do this now, he’d never be able to bring himself to do it. “Activate the cloaking.”

 

Sam grinned and pushed a button. “Take us in, nice and steady.”

 

Lotor steered the ship. He’d never done a stealth mission before. Most of his training was in diplomacy and straight up combat, and even then his combat had been when he stepped into a gladiator ring for fun.

 

No wonder Haggar was able to send him running so easily. He was woefully underprepared for the monumental task he’d decided to undertake.

 

They were able to sneak aboard, slipping in through one of the drone hangers and landing just inside.

 

They jumped out and ran along the wall until reaching the door, and then Sam grabbed his shoulder and made Lotor pause. “Where are we headed? The main control room will have too many Galra.”

 

“How good is your hacking?” Lotor asked.

 

“Top-notch.”

 

Lotor had no idea what that meant, but Sam looked pretty smug so he assumed it was high praise. “Then we’ll find another access terminal. They’re scattered throughout the ships for maintenance purposes.” It wouldn’t be too hard to find one.

 

Sam nodded and finally let go of his shoulder.

 

It was an exhilarating walk through the ship. They ducked in crevasses of the wall at every sound, sprinted around corners to avoid drone patrols, and jumped into the air when they accidentally bumped into each other.

 

Lotor would call it nothing short of a miracle that they reached a terminal without being spotted. The room was empty too, and he locked it as soon as they were inside. “Hurry, we probably don’t have much time.

 

Sam was already typing away. “We’re lucky, the last user didn’t lock up the screen when he left, I can actually get in.”

 

“What do you mean you can actually get in?” Lotor demanded.

 

Sam waved a hand. “I have ways to get around it, but it would have taken longer. Although, I suppose since you’re Galra you probably could have gotten me in pretty quick.”

 

Lotor took a deep breath to calm down. He did not need the extra stress right now. “Just hurry.”

 

He watched over Sam’s shoulder as Sam pulled up log after log. “Let’s see now…recent communications…here we go. Hmm, nothing exciting, only ‘all is well’ reports.”

 

Something else caught Lotor’s eye. “Hold on, what’s that?”

 

Sam read over it. “Fugitive Altean ship spotted briefly in the Avax system.”

 

“When was that?” Lotor asked.

 

“The flarth of yurmeth?” Sam said. He sent a quizzical look at Lotor. “I have no idea what that means.”

 

“It was several days ago,” Lotor sighed, standing up straight. “The ship would have moved on by now.” That was disappointing.

 

“Are they known rebels?” Sam asked.

 

“That’s the ship that houses Voltron,” Lotor explained. Of course Sam had no idea, he should have realized.

 

And if that was the most recent info this ship had on Voltron, it was no good to them. Lotor told Sam to switch over to the prisoner logs.

 

Sam didn’t protest. “I’ll need your help here, you have better access than I do.”

 

Lotor input a few commands, master control switches that let him know whatever he wanted.

 

“Oh damn the Galra and their ID system,” Sam muttered. “I’m going to have to go back to Kerberos and find out what IDs we were given first.”

 

“How long will that take?” Lotor asked. They’d already been here for a while, and ideally they should be leaving again soon before someone came to access this terminal or found their ship.

 

Sam swore again. “I don’t even know what you call Kerberos out here!”

 

“So this will take a while?” Lotor surmised.

 

“Give me a few minutes,” Sam said. He flicked through screens and typed in what looked like nonsense words to Lotor.

 

And then the alarm started going off.

 

“Blast it!” Sam said. He pulled up another window and started furiously typing.

 

“We have to go,” Lotor said.

 

“Hold on,” Sam said, still typing.

 

“Sam, they’ll be here any tick, let’s go!” Lotor grabbed Sam’s arm and tried to pull him, but Sam only shrugged off his grip.

 

“Just a few more seconds…”

 

Lotor couldn’t wait any longer. “We’ll try another ship.” He grabbed hold of Sam’s arm again and ran for the door. Sam went without argument this time. There was no point in stealth now, so they sprinted in the open back to their ship. Lotor took out a few drones they passed, but thankfully no one seemed to be expecting them to run for the hanger where their ship was.

 

“They must have noticed unauthorized access on the terminal,” Sam said as they ran.

 

“Is that really the most important thing right now?” Lotor asked.

 

“I just hope it means they don’t have time to undo my parting gift.”

 

“Parting gift?” Lotor repeated, sidestepping laser fire and punching a drone in the face. Its helmet dented and it went down and stayed down.

 

“Let’s just say we shouldn’t stick around very long.” Sam had an odd smile on his face, a kind of mischievous and smug look.

 

Lotor decided not to question it. They made it to their ship with only minor injuries; a few lasers had grazed them, but nothing life-threatening. Lotor took off and punched the throttle. Sam activated the cloaking almost immediately.

 

Lotor waited for the drones to chase after them, waited for the ion cannon to turn its deadly beam in their direction, but nothing happened. For several long ticks, space was deadly quiet.

 

And then the Galra patrol ship exploded.

 

Sam crowed in his seat and threw his hands up. “Yes! It worked!”

 

Lotor gaped at him. “You blew up their ship? _What did you even do_?”

 

“Well we couldn’t have them chasing after us, and we definitely don’t want them realizing what we’re up to. Getting rid of any evidence was the best bet. And all I did was back up one of the main fuel lines, causing everything to back up and combust on itself.”

 

Lotor’s jaw nearly hit his lap. Sam had done all that from _one_ computer. Lotor had watched him do it and had no idea what he’d been doing. He hadn’t even known you could _access_ the fuel lines from that computer.

 

This was a terrifying man he’d chosen to traverse the universe with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam taught both his kids everything they know and you can't convince me otherwise. 
> 
> Don't forget to leave comments and kudos! They're what keep authors alive!


	4. Feelings (TM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an exciting scene of death and destruction, Hunk lectures Shiro. 
> 
> And then there's some platonic Klance bonding and that's really what you're all here for, isn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've noticed, I changed the title of the fic. "Legendary Defenders" just wasn't cutting it. Sorry for any confusion!

 

The mourning period was over. Haggar, wearing cloaks as dark as space, stepped into the throne room for the first time since her announcement a cycle ago. The funeral had been tiring, but a necessary event to ensure everyone knew Zarkon was really gone and she was indeed in charge.

 

They were just lucky Voltron had been relatively quiet in her forced time away.

 

But all that was over now. As long as Voltron remained quiet, they were not a threat. She would continue the expansion of the empire, and if those lions dared to show their faces, she’d deal with them then.

 

She sank down on the throne and hit the top button on the left arm. A holographic map of the universe rotated around her. Most of it was a subtle purple; those were the planets they’d already recruited into the empire.

 

She waved her hand, spinning the map until a large section of blue sat in front of her.

 

Two commanders knelt on the floor in front of her. Eventually she’d bother to learn their names.

 

“Set a course for the Poilra System,” she ordered.

 

“Right away, Empress,” the one of the right said. He offered a bow and a quick “Vrepit Sa” and hurried out of the room.

 

She dismissed the map and spent another dobash on the throne. Oh how often she’d watched Zarkon rule from this very spot…he’d insisted on an uncomfortable throne, something made to intimidate. It had only been replaced a handful of times in ten millennia, when the technology in it grew outdated or malfunctioned altogether. The design had stayed relatively the same though.

 

She’d expected to watch him here for another ten millennia.

 

Her fingers curled around the edges of the chair. Ex-prince Lotor would pay. Once her bounty hunters brought him back, he would suffer. His would not be a quick or pleasant death.

 

The ship jolted, the only sign that they had moved into warp drive. It jolted again just a few ticks later, their sign that they had arrived.

 

The next varga was boring routine. A few warships were launched, approaching each of the planets. Most surrendered easily, and the ships landed and started setting up bases.

 

Only one planet fought back. There was always one.

 

“Planet Ulaqaw has launched fighters and opened fire on Commander Trorok’s ship,” the commander still in the throne room announced.

 

Haggar sat silently a moment, watching the battle on the screen in front of the commander. She tapped a finger against the arm of the throne. “What resources does Planet Ulaqaw offer?”

 

The answer was a few dobashes in coming. “They’re an agriculture and textile based planet. Their trading seems to be limited to this system.”

 

She continued tapping her finger. “Tell Commander Trorok to stand down, and summon my druids to our chamber.”

 

“Yes, empress.”

 

She lifted herself out of the throne and strode to the chamber herself, taking up position on her platform. The others were quick to join her ticks later. From their position, she could see that Commander Trorok had already followed her orders, his ship drifting back away from the planet. Ulaqaw’s fighters still hovered uncertainly.

 

“Gather your energies,” Haggar ordered. It was the only verbal communication she said during this process, the signal that started it all. As one, she and the druids summoned their magic and targeted the planet below. It was a vibrant blue color, with purple clouds hovering in the atmosphere.

 

Black energy built in the space between them. She shifted her focus from gathering energy to controlling what they already had. If sifted through her mind like sand, trickling down to Ulaqaw. There, it grabbed onto every bit of living energy to be found, and it brought it back up to her waiting druids.

 

They’d perfected this Quintessence draining process to the point where it only took five dobashes. When they finished, the planet was a brown husk.

 

“Store the quintessence,” she ordered, returning to the throne room. The commander from before was still there.

 

“Ulaqaw’s fighters are starting to flee the system altogether. Should we pursue?” he asked.

 

“No, let them run.” They’d run to whatever rebel planets they could find, and they’d tell them what had happened. And then when Haggar inevitably descended on that planet, they’d know what was coming for them. If they were smart, they’d surrender immediately before suffering the same fate.

 

If they weren’t smart…Well. Haggar was all out of mercy.

 

Xx

 

Voltron didn’t stay idle. The day after arranging an alliance with the spider-aliens, they set course for a nearby Balmera. Compared to their first Balmera, this one was a simple mission. There were no surprise robeasts and the poor creature wasn’t damaged enough to destabilize under them. Purging the Galra took less than an hour, and then they gathered a few small crystals to supply to Matt’s rebels for power.

 

They returned to the ship in high spirits. The Balmerans had sent them off with their own cave stew (Hunk swore Shay’s was better, but no one knew if they should believe it or not. Hunk had a pretty big bias).

 

After eating, they separated to work on their own projects. Matt and Pidge went to start coding that giant virus Slav had mentioned before, and Hunk stayed in the kitchen to bake cookies. He still hadn’t perfected a recipe that made actual edible cookies and not jawbreakers.

 

He was just putting the first batch in the oven when Shiro wandered in. “Oh, hey man, how’s it going?” Hunk asked.

 

Shiro stood awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was just, um, looking for a snack. Cave stew wasn’t exactly…”

 

“Not your thing?” Hunk finished.

 

Shiro nodded, nose turning pink.

 

Hunk gestured to the goo machine. “It’s all yours. And if you stick around for a little bit I’ll have some cookies ready!”

 

“Thanks,” Shiro said. He wordlessly fished out a plate and squirted himself some goo.

 

Hunk started cleaning some stuff up, loading the dishwasher with the various measuring tools he’d used. Shiro jumped up on the counter and crossed his legs, plate in his lap, and started eating.

 

“So…you doing okay? Since coming back?” Hunk asked.

 

Shiro nodded. “It’s nice to be around friendly faces and have Black nearby, and just to feel like I’m doing something with my time.”

 

Hunk could understand that. He closed up the Altean sugar. “Well it’s certainly nice to have you back, too.”

 

Shiro smiled and stirred his goo around. “Can I ask you something? And I want you to be honest.”

 

Ohhhh Hunk hated when people said that. He cringed but told Shiro to go ahead.

 

“What did you think of Keith as a leader? Did he do okay?”

 

Oh Quiznak Hunk needed to run away now he did not want to answer this question, not from Shiro of all people. He totally would run, too, if he wasn’t in the middle of baking cookies.

 

“Hunk?” Shiro asked.

 

Flying Galra on a stick Hunk needed to answer something soon or Shiro would take his silence as its own answer and that would be terrible too.

 

“He did okay,” Hunk said, mentally cringing again. _Okay? Really? That’s the best you can come up with?_ “He checked up on us a lot, still does, which is kind of cute. It was just…after a while, when things were getting tenser and tenser…he kind of closed himself off. Which I get, that’s who he is, it was just a lot more concerning when he’s supposed to be in charge. We need to be able to trust him, you know? And it’s hard to do that if we feel he doesn’t trust us.”

 

Shiro nodded, still stirring his goo. “That makes sense. I’ve been trying to work on that with him, but…it’s not easy.”

 

Hunk pulled out the first batch of cookies and put the second batch in. “Why is that? What makes him so afraid to trust people?”

 

Shiro grimaced. “That’s not really my story to tell.”

 

Hunk’s mind pinged like Pidge’s computer after finding sensitive data. “But there is a story?” Even knowing that much helped Hunk understand Keith a little better, despite not knowing the actual story.

 

Shiro looked up in surprise. “Quiznak I forget how smart you all are sometimes.”

 

“Well, yeah.” Hunk started transferring the cookies to a cooling rack he’d made. It was a simple thing to make, but he had to wonder how the Alteans didn’t have anything like it.

 

“There is a story,” Shiro sighed, “but Keith will actually kill me if I tell you.”

 

“Hey, it’s cool, I get your position,” Hunk said, raising his hands and backing off. “Now try one of these cookies and tell me what you think.” He didn’t give Shiro a chance to argue before shoving the purple concoction in Shiro’s mouth.

 

Shiro’s face went through a range of emotions as he chewed around the rather large cookie, the first being incredulity at Hunk’s action. Then it morphed into thoughtful consideration and he swallowed. It ended in pain and he practically inhaled the rest of his goo.

 

“Is it supposed to have a wasabi after-taste?”

 

Hunk narrowed his eyes. “Wasabi?” As far as he knew, there was nothing resembling wasabi in the ingredients. He took a bite of one of the cookies. It was sweet while he chewed, and the texture was a little cakey. When he swallowed he understood what Shiro meant. “Oh man, I don’t know what’s doing that. Cookies are not supposed to taste like this. What happened?”

 

Shiro chuckled and patted Hunk on the shoulder. “If it wasn’t for the aftertaste, it’d be a perfect cookie.”

 

Not true, not when it had the consistency of cake, but Hunk would take the compliment. “Thanks. I’ll keep working on it.”

 

“And thank you, for talking to me honestly.”

 

“Any time,” Hunk shrugged. He paused before asking, “Is there a way to help Keith trust us more? I mean, even if he doesn’t need to be leader again, it’d probably be good in general to work on that.”

 

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Shiro said. He set his bowl on the counter and scooted himself to the floor, leaning back against the ledge. “Time is the big thing, and because of Voltron he’s already leaps and bounds ahead of his normal schedule with new people. I guess just keep doing what you’re doing?”

 

Hunk nodded. That was incredibly unhelpful information. He’d figure something else out, maybe talk to Lance and Pidge about it, too. In the meantime, there was something else he needed to bring up with Shiro. “There’s um, one other thing I want to talk to you about.”

 

Shiro raised a brow. “I’m all ears.”

 

“I’ve already talked about this with Keith, but, uh, okay I don’t how to say this so I’m just going to come right out and sat it.” Hunk took a deep breath. “You tend to favor Keith. A lot.”

 

Shiro’s brows rose almost to his hairline. “I never-”

 

Hunk put a finger to Shiro’s lips. “You totally do. Look at our conversation earlier. You seemingly only asked how things went with you gone so that you could ask after Keith. And you were getting ready to leave now without asking how any of the others held up with you gone.”

 

Shire settled into his silence, so Hunk took his finger away. Just in time, too, because it was time to take the last batch of cookies out.

 

“I get it, I do. You were buddies before Kerberos so it’s natural to worry about him more. It’s sort of happening at everyone else’s expense though, especially Lance’s.”

 

Shiro’s eyes pulled together. “When have I ever-”

 

“Blade of Marmora,” Hunk stated. “Lance wanted to go and you shut him out in favor of Keith.”

 

“Keith’s lion was better suited for the job,” Shiro stated.

 

Hunk sighed. Shiro still wasn’t getting it. “You sure that’s the only reason?”

 

Shiro was silent for a long moment, forehead crinkled in thought. “Maybe…Maybe I did specifically want Keith with me. I’m more familiar with how he fights and what he’s capable of. I knew I wouldn’t need to worry about him so much. I never meant to make anyone feel lesser, though.”

 

Hunk leaned against the counter next to Shiro and picked up another cookie. “I know you didn’t mean to, that’s why I’m telling you. Keith’s not the only one who needs to work on his trust issues.”

 

Shiro was silent for a long time, long enough for Hunk to finish his cookie and pick up another. Wasabi aftertaste or not, he wasn’t going to let cookies go to waste. “Thank you for telling me, Hunk. I’ll do better from now on.”

 

Hunk beamed and offered a cookie to Shiro. “That’s all I ask. Well, that and take Lance more seriously sometimes. Not all the time, he says a lot of stuff without thinking, but every now and then he has a really good idea.”

 

Shiro gave a wry smile and took the cookie. “I’ll try and remember that.”

 

“Good. Now get out of my kitchen so I can redo these cookies.”

 

Shiro left laughing.

 

Hunk nodded to himself, pleased. Relatively speaking, they were still a new team, and they’d hardly had any downtime to just get to know each other. It wasn’t surprising there were a few bumps to smooth out. This merely happened to be one particular bump he was hellbent on banging into a diamond.

 

Xx

 

It was late. Really late. Lance was pretty sure even Coran and Slav had gone to bed at this point, and those two rarely ever slept.

 

He sat in the control room where Allura usually stood, galaxies spinning around him. It was comforting, the gentle rotations doing wonders to calm him down. By breakfast he’d be over this little funk, and no one would ever know. They’d save another balmera or another Olkari, and maybe next time he’d actually contribute more than the right leg of Voltron.

 

And maybe they’d finally find that Nacho planet for Hunk.

 

He sighed and tightened his arms around his knees. He was grateful the mission earlier had gone so well, truly. It hadn’t really needed him, but that was whatever. Not fully needing all five paladins was a good thing, it meant things were going well. If all he’d done was pair up with Keith to take out a few control towers, trailing along behind Keith because the speedy Gonzalez wouldn’t wait for him, that was a good sign. Who cared if he spent most of the mission watching rather than helping? He was on call for any cry of help. There weren’t any cries, so he didn’t do much.

 

It was fine.

 

Blue rumbled in his mind and sent a wave of warmth to him. He smiled. At least Blue would always have his back. No matter what the others thought of him, he wasn’t going anywhere. Blue wouldn’t allow it.

 

She growled, but he didn’t quite catch the emotion behind it. The anger didn’t feel like it was directed at him, not directly at least. She quickly sent another wave of warmth.

 

It helped, when his mind turned into an icy prison for his body, to have her warmth fight it off.

 

He turned his gaze back to the planets and galaxies around him. After the last few days of research with Allura, some of them were starting to look familiar. Given time, he wondered if he could learn about all of them, become a walking encyclopedia of the universe.

 

Given time, he wondered if he’d ever go home again.

 

The Milky Way spiraled in the back corner of the room, right over his station. He avoided looking at it. When he first came into the room, he’d stared at it for half a varga, thinking about what his family was up to right that second. Did they think he was dead? Had they had a funeral for him? How long, exactly, had it been on Earth? Time worked differently in space, he knew that. The paladins tried their best to keep to a typical day-night schedule, but it was messed up all the time. What if years had already passed on Earth? What if his family had already moved on and forgotten him?

 

Maybe coming in here had been a bad idea. He’d wanted to look at earth; this was the closest to a picture he could get. He only appeared to be making himself more miserable though.

 

The door behind him opened and he jumped in surprise. Coran shouldn’t be up for another varga at least…

 

“What are you doing up?” Keith asked. His voice was thick with sleep, and when Lance glanced back Keith was rubbing his eye with a fist.

 

Lance blinked. What the Quiznak was Keith doing here? “I could ask you the same thing.”

 

Keith shrugged, yawned, and then joined Lance on the floor. “Red was worried about you.”

 

Red was… “I didn’t realize we were still bonded,” Lance said quietly.

 

“I don’t think the bonds just go away,” Keith stated. “So, want to tell me why you’re up at this godforsaken hour of morning?”

 

Lance shrugged. “Woke up, couldn’t get back to sleep. Wanted to watch the stars.”

 

Keith gave him a long look. Lance turned his face away. They sat in silence for a few minutes. “I used to stargaze all the time growing up,” Keith said. He kept his voice low and soft, like speaking too loud would scare Lance away. “I, uh, I moved around a lot, but the stars were always the same. When I couldn’t remember constellations, I made up my own.”

 

Lance smiled. “I moved from Cuba to the states when I was seven and did the same thing. Well, I tried to anyway. It was far enough away that the stars were all in different positions and all that, but I get what you’re saying.”

 

Keith leaned back on his hands. “I guess you knew pretty young that you wanted to be up here with them, too, huh?”

 

Lance nodded. “I always wanted to be an astronaut; that never changed.” He remembered all those kindergarten pictures of “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and his terrible crayon drawings of marshmallow astronauts and little green aliens.

 

His mother still had one taped to the fridge when he was last home.

 

His smile slipped and he buried his face in his knees. Quiznak, he’d pushed the homesickness away for a few minutes but it was back with a vengeance.

 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

 

Lance nodded, lifting his face up. He didn’t look at Keith. “I just miss home, that’s all.”

 

“Oh.” He kept his hand on Lance’s shoulder, but at least he didn’t try and say any vague comfort phrases. “Is that why you couldn’t sleep?”

 

It hadn’t been, not to start, but Lance really didn’t want to get into all of that now. “Yeah.”

 

He heard two lions growling in his mind.

 

Keith sighed and pulled his hand away. “Red says that’s not all of it.”

 

Damn the lions. “Okay, I felt useless on the Balmera. But it’s not a big deal, I’ll be fine in the morning, you can go back to bed.”

 

Keith took a long minute to respond. “I don’t think Red would have woken me up if that were true. And you weren’t useless.”

 

“All I did was watch you destroy control towers and fly around like an idiot.”

 

“You covered my back,” Keith stated. “Because I’m reckless and usually need someone to cover me. And we both know if the positions were reversed I’d have gotten distracted by something and run off like the impulsive guy I am.”

 

That was probably true, Lance mused. “That doesn’t mean I just want to cover you all the time.”

 

“And you won’t. There will be missions where you take lead, like if we’re ever on an underwater planet again, or, I don’t know, we need a good sharpshooter or something.”

 

Lance grinned at the last bit. “Excuse you, I am a _great_ sharpshooter.” It was a weak, he didn’t have enough emotion behind it, but it was better than the sappy monologue Keith was giving him.

 

Keith gave a small laugh. “My mistake. Point is, you’re not here for decoration. We’re going to make sure you work just as hard as the rest of us.”

 

Lance’s grin turned a little softer. “Thanks, Keith.” Why those were the words that made him feel better, he had no idea. Maybe because they came from Keith, of all people. Maybe because, really, that was exactly what he wanted to do.

 

“Anytime, Sharpshooter,” Keith said.

 

Lance’s grin spread to his ears. He could get used to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> None of those conversation went the way I initially imagined them, by the way. Characters have a mind of their own.


	5. We Woke Up Early for This?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's virus time! The Galra won't know what hit them! Wait, no, I said the Galra, not the Paladins! Whoops. Turns out the Paladins don't know what hit them!

 

Shiro’s morning started like this:

 

“ _Wake up losers we have the ultimate virus to cripple the empire!”_ shrieked by Pidge through the intercom.

 

Followed by Matt shrieking: “ _It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen come cry with us!”_  

 

By the time he was dressed and walking into the control room, his heart rate still hadn’t returned to normal. He sent the Holts a scathing glare.

 

They grinned back, unrepentant.

 

Hunk walked in, yawning. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

 

“Time to take down the Galra?” Pidge answered. She bounced where she stood, biting on her lower lip to keep her excitement in.

 

Matt was in a similar state next to her, surprisingly bouncy even with his crutch.

 

Neither of them slept, then. Shiro sighed. Some things never changed.

 

“And this couldn’t have waited until a reasonable hour?” Keith griped. He and Lance sat on the edge of Allura’s control station, still in pajamas. It didn’t look like either of them had slept either.

 

“Why wait when we can destroy Galra?” Pidge said.

 

Shiro exchanged a glance with Hunk. They were apparently the only two that had used night hours for what they were intended for.

 

“Let me see, let me see,” Slav said, pulling up various windows. “Ohh, very nice. The Vaclix method, good choice. It could work. In two hundred and five realities it is successful. In a hundred and twenty-two you die horribly, though.”

 

“Yeah, cool, so when can go wreak havoc?” Pidge asked, looking to Shiro and Allura.

 

Shiro looked the team over. They were sleep-deprived, but postponing the mission might not make any difference. Keith and Lance were getting to their feet, stretching. They both looked ready for action. Adrenaline once they boarded a ship would keep them going, even if it wasn’t ideal.

 

He looked at Allura and shrugged. “I guess as soon as we find a ship.”

 

“That shouldn’t be hard,” she muttered. “We’re in a fairly abandoned sector right now, but it should only take a few dobashes to fly over to the Lekix system. There’s a patrol there we can ambush.”

 

“We?” Hunk repeated. “Oh not ‘we’ again.”

 

Allura pouted. “I thought my powers would be advantageous for this stealth mission. And if there’s a druid on board, you’ll want my magic.”

 

Those were excellent points. She was also more awake than half his team, and she’d be able to cover their backs.

 

“Sounds good. Coran, steer us over. Everyone else, suit up and meet in the Green Lion’s hanger.”

 

They were a blur of motion, meeting in the hanger in only a few dobashes. By then, Coran had steered them close enough so they loaded up into Green and took off.

 

Xx

 

Was it hasty and partially a little selfish for Allura to tag along on the mission? Perhaps. Did she regret it? Not for one quiznaking moment. She’d missed being in the thick of the action.

 

Pidge guided Green, cloaked, under the warship and sank Green’s claws into the hull. Shiro cut a hole for them to sneak in, and then they were all aboard.

 

“Okay, Lance, Keith, stay here and guard our exit,” Shiro said. “The rest of us will work our way to the control room so Pidge can upload the virus.”

 

Everyone nodded. Keith and Lance drew their bayards and hung back.

 

Things went wrong immediately. Allura had no sooner turned to the hall they were going to go down before a blast of magic knocked her and all the others off their feet.

 

“There’s druids!” Hunk yelled. “Two of them!”

 

That was not good. That was not good at all.

 

Allura started summoning her magic, but it wasn’t fast enough to block a second blast from the other druid. The paladins raised their shields, blocking the worst of it. Hunk, the closest one to her, stepped in front of her.

 

“How are we going to get past these guys?” Pidge asked.

 

“We’ll need a distraction,” Keith said.

 

“I can fight one of them, but I’m not sure I’m strong enough to handle two,” Allura said. She shot her own blast of magic at them from around Hunk’s shield. It was small and weak compared to the blasts they were sending their way.

 

A third blast aimed at the others sent them sprawling.

 

“Alright, new plan,” Shiro said. “Keith, get Pidge to the control room. Lance, you’re with me. We’ll take on one of them. Allura, Hunk, keep the other busy.”

 

“Got it,” Pidge said. She and Keith walked backwards until they were able to duck around a corner, and then they were gone.

 

Allura jumped out from behind Hunk’s shield and sent a few waves of magic at both druids. They deflected them easily. They deflected everything she threw at them easily. It was infuriating.

 

Hunk’s blaster fire shot past her, deadly beams of yellow aiming straight for the druids. They put up a shield easily enough, but Allura was able to use that chance to run closer. She formed a ball of magic between her hands and then stretched it into a staff. Hunk stopped firing, the shield lowered, and she lashed out with her staff. The druids disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 

“Oh no where did they go?” Hunk asked.

 

“Stay calm,” Shiro said. “And watch your backs.”

 

Allura would never be able to explain how she knew, if she’d felt the air change behind her or sensed the magic building in that spot, but she was able to turn with her staff right as the druid materialized. He went flying into the wall.

 

“Alright, way to go Princess!” Hunk cheered.

 

She smiled.

 

Lance swore down the hall, but when she looked over Shiro was already running to his aid, arm activated and reaching for the druid. She had to trust them to handle themselves. In the meantime, she had her own druid to fight.  

 

And fight they did. He didn’t try to disappear again, instead engaging her in hand to hand with his own hands encased in black energy. He was surprisingly agile, bending in ways that didn’t seem entirely natural. He sent her flying a few times, but Allura also sent him flying too.

 

She noticed at one point that Shiro, Lance, and the other druid were gone. She hoped they were okay.

 

“Hunk!” she yelled, jumping back and leaving the druid open for Hunk’s blaster fire. He didn’t disappoint, shooting an impressive barrage.

 

The druid ruined it by simply disappearing and reappearing behind Hunk.

 

Allura’s eyes widened. “Hunk!” The yell this time was long and drawn out and filled with fear.

 

Hunk was already turning around, swinging his heavy bayard.

 

He wasn’t fast enough.

 

A slash of black magic across his back sent him to the ground. There wasn’t any blood. His suit didn’t even look damaged. But black magic didn’t need to leave tangible marks to be deadly effective.

 

“ _Hunk!_ ” Allura screamed.

 

The druid stepped past her yellow paladin and raised a hand towards her.

 

Allura growled. “How dare you?” Her magic built within her, tinting her vision a vibrant pink.

 

The druid tried to blast her, but it disintegrated against her aura.

 

Allura took one step forward. Her body shook with her fury. “How. Dare. You.” Hunk still lay immobile on the ground. His bayard had deactivated. Her anger sent red through her aura.

 

The druid actually took a step back.

 

 _You better fear me_ , Allura thought. She screamed and released all of her magic forward in a tidal wave of destruction. Metal paneling tore free. The lights shattered. The druid raised his arms over his face and tried to summon another shield, but it couldn’t stand against Allura’s wrath. His cloak was ripped to shreds and the skin peeled away from his body. Not even bones were left by the time she was done.

 

She collapsed to her knees, panting in the dark. Loose wires sparked in the hall. There hadn’t been a ton of noise before, but now it seemed even more silent, like she was the only person on the ship.

 

Sweat dripped down her face, and her body trembled with exhaustion. She…she hadn’t even known she could do that. She didn’t know _how_ she had done that. She’d seen Hunk and… _Hunk_.

 

He lay in an island of intact flooring, unharmed by Allura’s wrath. He was twitching now, in pain, but still alive.

 

“Hunk,” Allura said, pushing herself to her feet and stumbling over to him. She tripped over the destroyed flooring a few times.

 

A scrap of the druid’s cloak had caught on Hunk’s shoulder. She ripped it free and tossed it aside, replacing it with her hand. “Hunk, can you hear me?”

 

His face scrunched in pain.

 

“Oh, Hunk.” She should have been faster, done more, defeated the druid quicker. “You’ll be alright, I promise.” She’d get him help. That was what she needed to focus on now.

 

She wasn’t exactly sure how she was doing that, yet, but she’d figure something out.

 

“We need to get you back to the castle and into a pod,” she muttered to herself. Carrying him wouldn’t be a problem, but only Pidge could fly the Green lion, and if they weren’t done with the virus then they’d have to wait. And who knew how long Hunk had?

 

“Pidge, what’s your status?” Allura asked.

 

“Keith and I are just getting to the control room now,” Pidge said in a whisper. “He’s taking out the guard outside the door.”

 

Allura bit her lip. “Hurry.”

 

“Going as fast as we can,” Keith grunted.

 

“I second Allura,” Lance chimed in. “This druid is _terrifying_.”

 

“How are you holding up, Allura?” Shiro asked. He sounded breathless.

 

“I destroyed our druid, but Hunk took a bad hit. He needs medical attention.”

 

There were loud exclamations of outrage.

 

“Do we need to retreat?” Keith asked.

 

Allura bit her lip and looked down at Hunk again. His face was still twisting in pain. She had to get him back to the ship. If she didn’t use the Green lion, what else could she use?

 

The answer was all around her, really, the second she looked up. Her magic. The druids could teleport themselves. Surely, she could do so as well? And she knew the castle better than her own hand, it couldn’t be that hard.

 

“I have another idea first, stand by.”

 

She tuned out their protests and gathered Hunk into her lap. In her mind she pictured the med bay. She’d take him right to the center so they wouldn’t have to worry about tripping over the stairs when they arrived. She shut her eyes to help with the process. If she believed she’d open them and find the med bay hard enough, maybe she would.

 

The magic built behind her eyes; she forced it out to surround Hunk, acutely aware of his presence against her arms and legs. She took a deep breath and _willed_ them to be in the med bay.

 

When she opened her eyes, they were.

 

They nearly shut again in bone-deep exhaustion, and she wasn’t sure she could stand up, but she’d gotten him back.

 

“It worked, we’re back!” she announced.

 

“What? How’d you get there so soon?” Pidge asked.

 

“I can teleport like the druids,” Allura explained. “Coran, I need you down in the med bay.”

 

“I’m on my way, Princess,” he said.

 

“Holy Quiznak you can teleport?” Lance said.

 

“That far?” Keith added.

 

“Guys, discuss it later!” Shiro snapped.

 

“Good luck,” Allura said. She wouldn’t be any more help to them, but hopefully she’d helped enough. Her presence had definitely been beneficial against the druids, so she was glad of that. She knew it had been a good idea to go.

 

Coran hurried in and whisked Hunk away into a pod, and before she knew it the world was tilting sideways as exhaustion finally got the better of her.

 

Xx

 

It was official. Druids were literally the worst thing in the entire universe, according to Lance. He’d never been this scared in his life. The thing just popped out of the air in front of him? Had killer lightning attacks? Ranked fifteen on the one-to-ten scale of creepy aesthetic?

 

Why had they stayed to fight this quiznaking thing? Why hadn’t they retreated the moment they saw two druids? This was suicide. They were all going to die. They beat Zarkon just to die later in some lame fight against his no-name druids. L A M E

 

He and Shiro were trying to pin the thing down; Lance shot wherever the thing was, but it disappeared quickly or threw up a shield, or sometimes just _absorbed_ his laser blast and shot it back at him, which, _rude_. The best Lance was doing was covering Shiro as Shiro went on the offensive, arm glowing.

 

Really, though, they were mostly just running through the ship in a terrible game of cat and mouse. And they were the mice. Not. Fun.

 

“Pidge, how much longer are you going to be?” Lance demanded. He wasn’t sure how much longer they could keep this up. His nerves were frayed.

 

“I’m hacking in now, sit tight.”

 

“Work faster!” Lance said. Hunk was already hurt and the way things were going, he or Shiro were about to be next.

 

The druid vanished in smoke as Shiro slashed with his arm. Immediately, Shiro’s gaze went to Lance. His eyes widened, and that was all the warning Lance needed.

 

He whirled on his heel and fired blindly.

 

The druid staggered back, a hand against its chest.

 

“I got him?” Lance questioned. “Holy Quiznak I got him!” Who was the best shot ever? That’s right, it’s him!

 

“He’s not finished yet!” Shiro warned.

 

Too little, too late. A blast of magic sent Lance flying down the hall, bayard dropping out of his grasp somewhere along the way.

 

“Lance!” Shiro yelled.

 

Lance rolled onto his stomach. His vision was a little blurry, which should probably be concerning, but he wasn’t in that much pain. “I’m okay,” he coughed. “Look out!”

 

Shiro just barely got his shield up in time to block. He fell back to cover Lance.

 

Lance gritted his teeth. “Pidge, you need to hurry.”

 

“I’m working on it.”

 

He took a deep breath and got back to his feet, taking aim over Shiro’s shield. The energy the druid was throwing at them absorbed the shot before it even made it half-way.

 

“I’m open to any ideas you have,” Shiro said.

 

Lance’s gut twisted. That would have been much more satisfying to hear if Lance actually _had_ any. But if Shiro was counting on him, then he couldn’t let him down. He scanned the hallway. There wasn’t much to work with, but blindly running around the ship wasn’t going to work forever, and they’d need to get this guy off their tail so they could escape again.

 

Wait, there, on the ceiling…what was that? A vent? It kind of looked like duct work. He didn’t see any grates or openings, but it was big, and it was metal, and it would hurt if it fell on a certain unsuspecting druid.

 

“Lance?” Shiro asked, glancing over his shoulder.

 

“Yeah, sorry, I got one. Do you think you can trick him into standing under that vent thing?”

 

Shiro took a minute to respond, trying to figure out what Lance was thinking while still defending against the blast. “You got it. Get ready.”

 

Lance activated his shield and nodded.

 

Shiro jumped to the side and sprinted forward while he had the chance, leaving Lance to take the full force of the attack. It didn’t last long; as soon as the druid realized Shiro was moving the energy blast broke off and he redirected his attacks to Shiro.

 

Lance fired a few times, mostly to keep the druid from creating another big attack and give Shiro time to get close. It worked like a charm. Shiro went on the offensive, forcing the druid to vanish in a puff of smoke and reappear somewhere else.

 

 _This might be harder than I thought_ , Lance realized. How in the world was Shiro going to get this teleporting demon from hell to stand in the one spot Lance needed him to stand?

 

Shiro dove forward with his glowing arm, passing through the smoke as the druid teleported again. He rolled and ended up standing exactly where Lance needed the druid to be, and he looked over at Lance real fast to make sure Lance was watching.

 

Lance took a few wild shots and hit one side of the vent. The druid reappeared behind Shiro and tried to blast him from behind, and while Shiro dived towards Lance, Lance shot the other end of the vent.

 

It didn’t have far to fall. The druid looked up and realized its fate when the metal smashed into his face.

 

Shiro and Lance stood still for a minute. No weird black energy suddenly fired out of nowhere.

 

“I…I think we got him,” Lance said. His hands shook.

 

“I think we did,” Shiro said. He smiled back at Lance. “Nice going. You really came through in the clutch.”

 

Lance did not get a dopey smile on his face and warm fuzzy feelings in his stomach. He _did not_ and anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

 

Standing up was hard. He was still trembling from adrenaline, though that was slowly fading. They’d done it. They actually beat one of the druids. And it had been one of his plans that did it. He wished he had a camera. He would totally take a selfie of this moment with the vent in the background. He was going to revel in this feeling forever.

 

Then the lights flashed red and alarms blared through the ship.

 

Shiro and Lance looked at each other with mirrored looks of horror.

 

Xx

 

It was surprisingly easy to get into the control room. They’d barely run into any guards, and Keith had been able to handle the few they did see with a few quick jabs.

 

Pidge rushed past him and started clicking away. She said a few lines to Lance, her fingers never pausing in their work.

 

He was always amazed at her ability to multi-task. It couldn’t be easy trying to code and keep up conversations at the same time.

 

He glanced towards the door. No incoming guards. He’d have thought there’d be more security, considering there were two druids on board. Maybe that meant they had more of that quintessence stuff on board? Oh well, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like they could do anything with a shipment of quintessence. Probably. It wasn’t worth stealing, at any rate. They’d be lucky to get out of here without any more injuries. Hunk needing immediate medical attention was bad enough. He hoped the big guy would pull through. Allura made it sound really bad.

 

The computer beeped, and the door shut tight, locking.

 

“What was that?” Keith asked.

 

“I…I don’t know,” Pidge said. She bent over the computer and typed faster. Alarms blared through the ship and red lights flashed.

 

“What’s happening?” Keith leaned over and glanced at the screens.

 

“ _Fugitive VG detected. Self destruct mode initiated.”_

 

“What?” both of them yelled.

 

“Turn it off!” Keith shouted. Galran symbols flashed on the screen. The countdown, probably.

 

“I’m trying!” Pidge said. “It locked me out of the system!”

 

“Quiznak,” Keith said. “Shiro, Lance, get out of here! We tripped some kind of alarm, the ship’s about to blow!”

 

“We heard,” Shiro said. “Can you get out?”

 

Keith tried the door. It didn’t open, but he didn’t expect it to. They didn’t have time for this! “Pidge!”

 

“I can’t do anything!”

 

He joined her at the computer again. The symbol for one flashed a few times.

 

Keith’s eyes widened. They were out of time.

 

He threw himself around Pidge and shut his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aren't cliffhangers fun?


	6. Stress Thy Name Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is there a better way to bond with someone than over road trip shenanigans and running from bounty hunters?   
> Sam and Lotor would both agree that yes, there are definitely better ways. But resources are limited, okay?

Sam was singing. Sam had been singing for the last varga, but he’d started a new song ten dobashes ago. It was fun, at first. Lotor had joined in for a few verses.

 

And then he realized what was happening and that Sam intended to complete the song.

 

“Eighty-three bottles of beer on the ship, eighty-three bottles of beer!” Sam crowed.

 

Lotor’s eye twitched.

 

“Take one down, pass it around, eighty-two bottles of beer on the ship!” Sam elbowed Lotor. “Come on, why’d you stop singing? Eighty-two bottles of beer on the ship, eighty-two bottles of beer!”

 

Lotor was going to murder him. That was it. Friendship over.

 

“Take one down, pass it around, eighty-one bottles of beer on the ship!”

 

“If you don’t cease right now, I will eject you into space,” Lotor growled.

 

Sam froze with his mouth wide open and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He closed his mouth. “Someone’s a little cranky. You know what you need? A good bottle of beer. And that leaves eighty bottles of beer on the ship!”

 

Lotor screamed. “Enough with the singing!”

 

Sam laughed and sank back in his seat. “Alright, alright, I’ll stop.”

 

Lotor breathed. “Thank you.”

 

“So what do you do on long intergalactic trips to pass the time?” Sam asked.

 

“Usually trips like this are done aboard larger transport ships, where there’s an abundance of things to be doing,” Lotor explained. And those ships had basic commodities like showers and _leg room_. Quiznak what he wouldn’t give to stretch his legs right now. This system was completely empty though, nothing but a few floating rocks. Normally they’d take this chance and one of them would jump in the back and sleep for a few vargas, but they’d been well-rested before they realized what they were getting into.

 

To make matters worse, the trading post they were aiming for was on the far side of the system, because of course it was. They’d be lucky if they made it there before they went insane.

 

Well, if Sam started singing again he’d be lucky if he made it all. Lotor was making no promises about controlling his temper.

 

“So you’ve never had a good old fashioned road trip?” Sam asked.

 

“Do I even want to know what that is?” Lotor asked. He took one hand off the controls to rub at his temple in hopes of rubbing away the headache building there.

 

“Do you remember when I told you about cars?” Sam asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well, sometimes people pack up the car and just drive across the country. The point of the trip is to enjoy the drive, maybe see a few exciting destinations, but mostly just to enjoy the drive.”

 

“That sounds pointless and boring,” Lotor stated.

 

Sam laughed. “I suppose to someone like you it would. I used to do them with my family all the time. Katie would look up out of the world places to visit, and we’d get in the car and drive.”

 

Sam’s voice had gone wistful, and Lotor had the feeling he wasn’t seeing the empty universe in front of them anymore.

 

He really had been close to his family, hadn’t he? Lotor tried to imagine Zarkon doing that with him. The resulting image was so bizarre he had to forcefully shut down that line of thought.

 

It left a strange hollow feeling in chest. “Your relationship with your family,” Lotor started. “Is it normal to be so close?”

 

“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Sam said.

 

“You went on these road trips and you had meals together every day, and you went to every robot death battle your son partook in…”

 

Sam laughed again.

 

“I’m simply curious if all fathers on earth are as invested in their children as you are,” Lotor finished. He was blushing. He could feel the heat turning his cheeks dark purple.

 

“I wouldn’t say all fathers,” Sam said. “Ideally, every parent would be devoted to their child, but it doesn’t always work out like that. Some parents don’t know how to show their love, and some aren’t cut out for the job at all.”

 

Lotor nodded. He wasn’t sure why he had asked. It wasn’t like it would change his own childhood or his feelings toward his deceased father.

 

“There’re lots of kids whose parents treated them terribly,” Sam said, voice quiet and gentle. “Sometimes the parent gets violent and hurts the child, sometimes the child fights back.”

 

What had Lotor hoped to gain with this? Was he looking for validation? Something to excuse killing his own father? He’d been perfectly okay with it before. He wasn’t sorry he’d done it.

 

Maybe it was just because Sam was painting the picture of a perfect family, and Lotor wished his own childhood had been like that. He wished he’d had a father willing the traverse the universe looking for him on the off chance he was still alive. If he’d gone missing, Zarkon would have waved his hand and that would be the end of it. Lotor would have survived or died on his own, and it wouldn’t have made a difference to Zarkon.

 

“Either way,” Sam went on. “There have been some great people in our history who had terrible parents.” He smiled at Lotor. “I see no reason why aliens can’t be the same.”

 

Lotor rolled his eyes and smiled. “Thank you.”

 

“My pleasure,” Sam said. “Now, since you’ve vetoed singing, what else can we do to pass the time?”

 

Somehow Lotor didn’t think ‘Sit quietly’ would be the answer.

 

Xx

 

The trading post on this planet was all in an enclosed building, with bright lights, clean floors, and few Galra.

 

Oh, they also had Lotor pictured on “Wanted” posters pasted to every wall and flashing across every screen.

 

“I can’t believe I’m only worth 50,000 gac to Haggar,” Lotor muttered, studying his poster. He’d worn his scarf again to avoid unnecessary hassle, which had turned out to be a better call than he could have predicted.

 

But only 50,000? He was Zarkon’s son for crying out loud! He should be worth _at least_ 100,000. This was downright insulting.

 

“How about we walk away from the poster detailing your reward?” Sam suggested, attempting to pull Lotor’s arm.

 

“Hush,” Lotor demanded. According to the poster, Haggar didn’t care if he was dead or alive; dead was actually preferred.

 

Great, so whatever bounty hunters came after him would be shooting to kill. He adjusted his scarf to cover more of his face.

 

He finally walked away from the poster. “Let’s just get some more food and fuel for the ship.” They still had money from their last stop; hopefully it would be enough.

 

They procured fuel first, heckling over the price until the seller finally came down enough. Lotor lifted the canister onto his shoulder; it was as thick as his body and about half as tall as him, and it hardly weighed anything at all.

 

Sam still gaped at him.

 

“You’ve seen my strength before,” Lotor stated while they walked towards the grocery section.

 

“I know, but sometimes you seem so human it’s easy to forget you’re not, and then you do something like this, something incredibly _inhuman_ that it takes a while to wrap my mind around it,” Sam said.

 

Lotor rolled his eyes. He wondered if all people from earth were as chatty as this one.

 

Sam handled getting their food, bargaining again and spending the last of their money. Lotor took a deep breath as the last gac changed hands.

 

That was it; they either found Voltron in the next week or they starved.

 

Sam smiled broadly and picked up the bag of groceries. “Ready to go?”

 

Lotor nodded, and they turned towards the exit. It wasn’t far; food and fuel were close to the entrance of the trading post for convenience purposes. If they hadn’t also needed food, they could have used a door that led right to the fuel supplier from the outside and not come in at all.

 

His scarf was yanked off his head.

 

“I knew it,” someone growled.

 

Lotor blinked and turned around to face the culprit. “That was incredibly rude.”

 

The woman dropped the scarf to the ground. She was thin and gangly, practically a bunch of poles strung together. She wore brown metal armor, and on her right bicep was a modified Empire’s sigil where a curved line connected the bottom two points.

 

“Quiznak,” Lotor muttered, backing up.

 

“Prince Lotor,” the bounty hunter said. “Thank you for making my job easier and walking right into the post while I was on break.”

 

“My pleasure,” Lotor growled.

 

“Uh…Lotor?” Sam asked.

 

Double Quiznak, Lotor had forgotten all about Sam.

 

The bounty hunter reached behind her back and pulled out a gun. “Dead or alive are my favorite bounties; it’s so much easier to transport dead prey.”

 

“I bet,” Lotor snarled.

 

“Oh no,” Sam whispered, finally catching on to the situation.

 

Better late than never, Lotor supposed.

 

The hunter raised her gun. Lotor did the only thing he could right then and chucked the fuel canister at her. It bowled her over and continued back into the mall.

 

While the hunter was still on the floor, Lotor pounced and slammed a fist into her face. Bright blue blood burst from her nose. In retaliation, she wrapped her legs around his waist and flipped their positions, swinging the gun around the aim at his face.

 

Sam tackled her. Just flew out of nowhere, grabbed her around the neck, and soared over Lotor’s head. They flipped and wrestled on the floor. She kept a stubborn grip on her knife.

 

People were starting to notice and gather around them. It wouldn’t be long before another hunter swooped in, and if not them then security. Lotor didn’t want to deal with either one.

 

He lunged forward and grabbed the gun, slamming a heel down on her wrist to make her let go.

 

She swore at him and slammed a fist against Sam’s head, knocking his glasses off. In the ensuing daze, she threw him off and leapt at Lotor.

 

Lotor caught her outstretched arm and hurled her past him, chucking her into the crowd. Then he picked up Sam’s glasses, shoved them onto Sam’s face, grabbed the fuel while Sam grabbed the food, and they ran.

 

The hunter chased them of course, but Lotor still had her gun. He fired a few shots backwards, aimed at the floor, in hopes of scaring her off.

 

All she did was swear some more and run faster. With her long legs, she gained on them quickly.

 

Lotor took an end of the canister and swung it behind him, knocking her upside the head and sending her crashing through a wall.

 

She wasn’t as quick to get up again.

 

Their pod wasn’t close to the doors, and by the time they reached it, they were both out of breath. Lotor loaded the fuel into the tank and jumped into the cockpit.

 

Theirs wasn’t the only ship to take off.

 

“Oh sugar honey iced tea this is bad,” Sam said.

 

“Can’t you use your magic hacking and disable their ships from here?” Lotor asked.

 

“I’d need to have access to their frequencies, or at least some kind of link to get in,” Sam said.

 

“Would a regular communication transmission work?” Lotor demanded. They’d already cleared the minor atmosphere, and laser fire wasn’t far behind.

 

“It might,” Sam said. “It’s worth a shot at any rate.”

 

Lotor flipped through screens with one hand while executing evasive maneuvers with the other. The hailing frequency would reach out to any nearby ships, which hopefully only included the ones chasing them. He really didn’t want to accidentally alert anyone else in the universe to their current location.

 

“How much time are you going to need?” Lotor asked.

 

“A few minutes, at least. I’m just going to shut down all their systems, will that work?” Sam asked.

 

“That’s fine. Get ready.” He opened the frequency. “Attention all bounty hunters. I’d like to personally congratulate you on tracking me down. I’ve done my best to make that a difficult task.”

 

Sam’s fingers flew over his screen. A bead of sweat rolled down his face.

 

“I have a question for you though: will all of you be sharing in my bounty? Or will the prize go to the person who actually brings me down?”

 

A hail of laser fire forced him to shut up for a few ticks while he corkscrewed through space.

 

“I see you didn’t like that idea at all,” Lotor said. “I never realized bounty hunters were so touchy before, you should really consider therapy.”

 

“You’re going to get us killed,” Sam muttered.

 

“You’re the one with the skills to avoid that,” Lotor hissed back. Louder, he said, “It’s so hard to find good copilots. Anyone else have that problem? Show of lasers, come on.”

 

A few shots bounced off the ship’s shields.

 

“Pay attention, would you?” Sam said.

 

“Oh, we’re fine. The hunters are just trying to act tough. They’re like a flazap, filling up with hot air to make themselves look impressive but having no actual means of attack.”

 

He was glad this frequency was only one way; the aggressive laser fire was more than enough to get the idea of what they’d be saying if he could hear them.

 

“My, my, you are easily offended, aren’t you? I thought bounty hunters were tough guys.” 

 

Sam shook his head.

 

“I know, let’s play a game!” Lotor said. “Can you all do this?” He did a barrel roll up and over another ship, hit the brakes to get behind them, and then shot the ship’s engines. “That was fun!”

 

The barrage of lasers said otherwise.

 

“Sam?” Lotor hissed.

 

“Just need one more minute!” Sam said.

 

Lotor didn’t even know how long that was. They’d never bothered translating their units of time for each other.

 

“Oh, now you’re all flying in formation, how impressive,” Lotor said. It wasn’t impressive it was terrifying, bounty hunters never worked together like this. His bounty wasn’t worth all this effort. “And here I thought bounty hunters worked alone. You’re fighting all kinds of stereotypes today, good job.”

 

They tried to swarm around him and attack from all sides, but there weren’t enough to completely surround them. Lotor was able to fly out through a gap in the bottom, plunging into a nose dive. They followed like reims to honey.

 

“And…done!” Sam announced, pressing one final button.

 

The ships behind them went dark, thrusters cutting out with no warning. They kept their momentum, but they no longer had any control. Some of them turned into each other, others went spiraling to the side.

 

Lotor closed the frequency and flew out of the system, cutting their own engines and coasting along to save fuel.

 

Sam leaned back in his seat and put a hand over his heart. “Well that was terrifying. I can’t believe there were that many bounty hunters at the mall the one day we went there.”

 

Lotor dragged a hand over his face. “I doubt all of them were actually hunters. Some were probably regular civilians looking to make some quick gac.”

 

“That’s even worse!” Sam said. He rubbed the spot on his head the female hunter had bashed him.

 

“Relax. We’re hard to track in this ship, and we won’t need to make any more stops for a while,” Lotor said.

 

“I’ll still feel better once we have some allies,” Sam said.

 

“You and me both,” Lotor muttered. His hands shook around the controls, leftover adrenaline still coursing through his body. He missed his colony. Life had been so much more peaceful when his biggest concerns were collecting taxes and settling petty disputes. And his _shower_. He missed his shower dearly. He was starting to forget what his hair looked like when clean.

 

They were both on edge for the next two vargas, and then Sam finally slipped into the back of the ship to try and get some sleep. The solitude helped to calm Lotor down. He was able to lose himself in thought, reminiscing about the good old days before he was a fugitive in his own empire.

 

Quiznak he missed those days.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I have actually sang the entire "99 bottles of beer" song in its entirety. Took me about 45 min I think? Maybe half an hour, I went into negative numbers too and I don't remember the time keeping at this point. I'm pretty sure Sam would have the patience to do it. Pidge and Matt did too, when they were younger. You can't convince me otherwise of this, either.


	7. Doom and Despai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's hurt no one knows what's going on and Keith and Pidge are MIA it's great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the first scenes I planned out for the sequel when I started thinking about it you have no idea how much I love it ENJOY THE PAIN haha.

Allura woke up to chaos. She’d been moved to a retractable bed in the med bay, a damp cloth over her head. Coran rushed around, prepping more pods.

 

“Coran?” Her voice was terrible, weak and raspy.

 

“Princess! You’re awake!” He was at her side in an instant, grabbing her hand. “How do you feel?”

 

“Exhausted,” she stated.

 

“I’m not surprised. You used a lot of energy bringing Hunk and yourself back here.”

 

“Hunk? How is he?” She tried to push herself up, but her arms trembled beneath her and wouldn’t take her weight.

 

“Easy, rest for now. Hunk is going to be fine. He’s healing in a pod.”

 

She relaxed back on the bed. “Good, that’s good. And the others? How did the mission go?”

 

Coran bit his lip. “Well…”

 

Panic flared through her. “Coran, what happened?”

 

He sighed. “The last we heard the ship was about to self-destruct, with the others still inside.”

 

Her heart nearly stopped. “No…”

 

“We haven’t had contact with any of them since,” Coran finished. He wouldn’t look at her.

 

She tried again to push herself up. “We have to find them immediately.”

 

“We will, but you’re in no shape to help anyone right now.”

 

That was unacceptable. Her paladins needed her.

 

“Shiro and Lance just came up on radar!” Matt announced over the intercom. “They’re using their jetpacks to fly back.”

 

Where were Pidge and Keith? Why hadn’t they stayed to find them? Unless… no, she wouldn’t even think it.

 

She pushed herself up with sheer stubbornness.

 

“Princess, please rest,” Coran said. “We’re doing everything we can.”

 

“I will not sit by when they need me,” she insisted.

 

He pushed her back down with hardly any effort. “What they need is a princess who is well rested.”

 

“Shit I think they’re hurt,” Matt muttered. He probably hadn’t meant to say it over the intercom, a fact that somehow made the situation worse.

 

Slav wailed. “Ohhh the chances of survival are less than one percent! We’re all doomed!”

 

“Will you be quiet!” Matt yelled. “If you’re not going to help me find my sister then get out of here!”

 

“She’s probably already dead!” Slav wailed. “Green and red together are unlucky colors! They kill each other in over a hundred thirty realities!”

 

There was a loud smack, and Allura wasn’t sure she wanted to know what it was.

 

“What hanger are they headed towards?” Coran asked.

 

“It looks like Yellow’s is the closest to them,” Matt answered.

 

“Right then,” Coran said. He turned back to Allura. “I’m going to go help them. Stay here and get some rest. I’m sure Keith and Pidge are fine.”

 

He left, and all Allura could think was that he’d used their names. He never used their names.

 

Her hands shook in her lap.

 

Xx

 

The castle was a sight for sore eyes. Why neither Blue nor Black had come out to help them, Shiro couldn’t begin to guess. Unless their injuries weren’t actually all that bad? Maybe the lions knew they weren’t in fatal danger. That was a bit of relief, Shiro supposed.

 

Lance’s grip around him kept weakening. With all the hits he’d taken from the druid, the last thing he’d needed was to get crushed by a few support beams. They knew he had a broken leg, and he was complaining about his ribs. He also didn’t seem entirely coherent, so Shiro was worried about a concussion.

 

He was staying awake like a trooper, though, and that was all Shiro could ask for. His own injuries hurt like a bitch, and his stomach was coiled in worry for Keith and Pidge. Part of him was screaming to go back, to find them, to not rest until he knew they were safe and sound. The other part was more worried at how limp Lance was becoming in his arms.

 

Flying back to the castle had started as a team effort. Coran or someone had moved it closer to what was left of the warship, and it wasn’t that bad of a flight, especially compared to the times he’d been in empty space before.

 

Yellow’s hanger was open for them, and he sank down on the floor gratefully when the doors shut. And then the weight of his injuries pressed down on him and he groaned. He had his own concussion, he knew, and there was something wrong with his one shoulder. He was also having issues moving his hip, but he needed to get Lance medical attention.

 

“Almost there,” Shiro said, shoving down the pain and stumbling forward a few steps.

 

Lance whimpered in pain, but he was doing his best to hold his own weight.

 

 _This kid,_ Shiro thought. He was so brave and selfless. Beaten to hell and still trying so hard.

 

“Shiro, Lance!” Coran called, appearing in the door to the hall.

 

Shiro nearly fell to his knees in relief. “Coran.”

 

The man was next to him in an instant, taking Lance into his arms. “We’ll get you both fixed up in a jiffy.”

 

Shiro shook his head and ignored the way that made the room spin. “I have to find Pidge and Keith, I can’t leave them…”

 

He twisted back on his good side, but the hanger never stopped spinning. He stumbled.

 

Coran caught him. He still held Lance with one arm, supporting most of the kid’s weight against his shoulder and letting his legs dangle in front of him. The other hand took hold of Shiro’s arm and steadied him. “I’m afraid I have to disagree, you need a pod just as badly as Lance here.”

 

“But…the others…” He had to find them, he had too…

 

His body disagreed, too. His stomach threatened to throw up, and his vision kept swimming and twisting.

 

“Matt and Slav are trying to trace their signals. And you know that Red lion. If Keith were in danger, she’d be there in a jiffy to get them out.”

 

That…that sounded reasonable, Shiro decided. He let Coran lead him away. Red would take care of Keith…she always did.

 

He didn’t remember making it to the med bay.

 

Xx

 

It took Pidge a while to realize what she was looking at. There were frozen drops of red floating in the air around her, along with wires and dented and charred metal. Something was wrapped around her, and her left arm felt like fire. Her head hurt, too.

 

“What happened?” Her tongue felt funny in her mouth, thick and heavy and dry.

 

Were all the wires moving, or was she moving? She couldn’t tell. She didn’t know what she was resting on, either. She didn’t feel anything under her back. She kind of felt like she was floating.

 

The red drops kept grabbing her attention. It was a vibrant red, pretty, with veins of white ice encasing it. How was it floating like that? What was it? It looked a little like blood, but blood didn’t float like that, and she’d never seen it frozen before. Well, maybe if it was in zero gravity it would.

 

Things clicked into place scarily fast with that thought. Zero gravity. She was in zero gravity, because the ship they’d been on quiznaking _exploded_. Wait…they…Keith! Where was Keith? Oh, Keith was on top of her, wrapped around her, actually. Him and a ton of wires, but whatever. They’d wriggle out of them as soon as she woke Keith up.

 

“Hey, Keith, wake up,” Pidge said. Her right arm was pinned between their chests, and all she could do was flop her hand against his chest. Her left arm was useless. Probably broken.

 

He didn’t stir, so she wriggled a bit. His face scrunched up and he whimpered, and then Pidge understood.

 

Those red drops that looked like blood _were_ blood. Because the beam that she could just see over the edge of Keith’s shoulder didn’t disappear harmlessly out of sight, it disappeared into his _back_.

 

“Oh Quiznak,” she muttered. “Keith, Keith please wake up. You are not allowed to die here, you understand me?”

 

He seemed to be rousing a little bit, which, _thank God_ , but he still didn’t open his eyes. Okay, fine, she would get them both out of this, no big deal. If she could just wriggle out of these wires…

 

Her squirming shifted Keith again, and the pain that must have caused was at least enough to wake him up.

 

He groaned and squished his eyes before opening them. They were glazed over in pain. “Pidge?” His voice was hoarse.

 

“You’re awake, thank god!” Pidge said. She could cry from relief.

 

“What…what’s going on?” He tried to push her away when he realized how close they were, but all that did was cause them both to scream in pain.

 

“Stop! Don’t move, okay, just, don’t move,” Pidge said, panting. He’d accidentally pushed on her broken arm.

 

He still looked panicked and more than a little out of it.

 

“We’re kind of trapped,” Pidge said. “The wires we’re wrapped up in have me pinned to you, and you have a giant quiznaking beam impaling your back so every time we move that’s probably getting worse.” Which, actually, considering they were in space, was _a thousand times worse_. He had a compromised suit. In space. If that wound grew bigger than the beam, he’d die of exposure in seconds.

 

She wasn’t sure if he’d realized that or not, but she wasn’t about to tell him. She didn’t need him panicking any more than he was.

 

They needed help. Badly. Where was his stupid lion when they needed her?

 

“Can Red get to us?” Pidge asked.

 

“Don’t know. Can’t focus. Too loud.”

 

Too loud? There was literally nothing out there with them. And it was _space._ There was no sound in space. What was he hearing?

 

“Okay, that’s majorly concerning. But I’m not out of tricks yet. Pidge to anybody, come in.”

 

“ _Pidge! Oh thank god you’re alive!”_ Matt said. The sheer relief in his voice was overwhelming. She wondered how long they’d been out. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

 

“Uh…I could be better. Keith and I are kind of trapped in the wreckage of the ship. We can’t move.”

 

“Shit, okay, we’ll come get you. Somehow.” Matt sounded distracted now, which Pidge wanted to be offended at.

 

“Can you hurry? Keith’s hurt really bad.”

 

“Fuck not him too,” Matt said. “How bad?”

 

She related the injury to him, and Matt grew quiet.

 

“How bad are the others?” Pidge asked. She knew about Hunk already, but hopefully Shiro and Lance were okay…at least okay enough to come get them.

 

“To put it simply the other paladins are all in pods, and all that magic Allura used drained her pretty badly. She can barely sit up on her own.”

 

Fear gripped Pidge’s heart. If the others had already been put in pods, it must be really bad, worse than what Matt was telling her.

 

She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

 

But if they were all in pods, and even Allura didn’t have the strength to come get them…who was left to rescue them?

 

“Matt, I can hardly move. Any time I try it moves Keith, and I’m scared the beam will tear a bigger hole in his suit.” She was scared. Really scared.

 

“Just sit tight, Katie,” Matt said. “We’ll come get you. Keep Keith awake, okay? And let us know if he gets any worse.”

 

She nodded and swallowed down her tears. “Okay.”

 

There was a faint click of the comm line ending. She took a shaky breath and turned to Keith. His eyes were closed again, breathing shallow.

 

Shit Matt had given her one job and she was already failing. “Keith? Keith wake up.”

 

He didn’t move at first, but she yelled a little louder and he jolted, wincing at the pull it caused on his back.

 

Pidge winced too.

 

“You have to stay awake, okay?” she said. Her voice was still shaky. “No sleeping.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” he said.

 

She took a few deep breaths to calm down. She needed to be calm right now. She could freak out later when he was safely in a pod.

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. He tapped his helmet against hers. “We’ll get out of this. We always do.”

 

Things had never seemed this bad before. She’d never been stuck waiting with a teammate dying in her arms before.

 

“You should keep talking,” Pidge said. “To keep yourself awake.”

 

He nodded. “Kay. What should I talk about?”

 

She wanted to shrug, but she was terrified moving a single muscle would create a chain reaction and move Keith somehow. “Tell me about yourself. What were your hobbies on Earth?”

 

“You mean before I became a crazy person in the desert?” he asked, smiling faintly.

 

“Yeah, before that,” she said, a small smile forming on her face too.

 

“I’d read,” he said. “Anything I could get my hands on. Was really into cryptids for a while.”

 

An internal radar inside Pidge dinged. “Cryptids?” she repeated.

 

“Yeah, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster, things like that,” Keith said. “Really freaked the Unruh’s out, they returned me pretty quick.” He was still smiling. “I didn’t like them anyway.”

 

“Wait, returned you?” Pidge questioned. “What were they borrowing you or something?”

 

“Huh, that’s kind of how foster care works, I guess.”

 

Foster care. That explained so much about him. She’d have to ask about it more later, when he wasn’t bleeding out. It wasn’t a conversation to have when he wasn’t fully present.

 

She’d focus on the cryptids for now. “Did you ever hear of mothman?”

 

“He’s my favorite, are you kidding?” he asked. At least he sounded more awake now. Pidge could work with this.

 

As long as Matt or someone hurried, maybe they’d be okay.

 

Xx

 

Biting his nails was a habit Matt had thought he’d left behind when he was twelve, but here he was, pacing/limping in the control room and chewing his nails down to disgusting nubs.

 

Slav was keeping well away from him, and he was finally keeping his little beak shut after Matt had lashed out and hit him earlier. He’d apologize when he wasn’t freaking out, but the little dude’s doom predictions were not helping anything in the slightest.

 

He paused on his crutches and looked out over the debris of the warship. Ultimately, someone had to go out there and physically help them. The first four choices for a rescue were down for the count, and Coran and was busy tending to all of them. They sure as hell weren’t sending _Slav_ to save his baby sister.

 

That left him.

 

Him and his gimpy leg. He glared at his knee. He’d been working on a brace so he could finally ditch this crutch, but things had gotten so hectic in the last few days he hadn’t had time to finish.

 

He tightened his grip on the crutch and stared at the debris. Some of the ship had already floated to the far reaches of the galaxy, the force of the explosion enough to propel it and then it simply kept going.

 

Because in space there was no friction or gravity.

 

His eyes widened. He didn’t need to walk out there. He didn’t need two perfect functioning legs.

 

He turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could to the med bay. “Coran! Where are your extra space suits! And I’m going to need something to cut through wires and a support beam.”

 

“Hold on, what are you on about?” Coran said. He was bustling about the pods, checking vitals on the three paladins.

 

Matt updated him on the situation. Allura lifted her head from the cot she was resting on. “Coran, give him what he needs.”

 

“Right away, princess. Follow me.”

 

It took ten minutes for Matt to get suited up and another five for Coran to find him the tools he’d need, and then Matt stood on the edge of the Yellow lion’s hanger.

 

“Bring them back,” Coran said, opening the door for Matt.

 

He was sucked out immediately, an absolutely _terrifying_ feeling, and hurtled through space in the direction of the war ship.

 

It took some maneuvering to get used to the jet pack. It wasn’t as efficient as the paladins, and it had a limited charge because it was so old, but he didn’t need that much power. It was more to help with guidance.

 

Finding the approximate area Pidge and Keith were trapped was easy, at least. The Green lion was hovering over a cluster of debris, pawing at the loose edges. Matt used her tail to pull himself further and dove into the cluster.

 

“Katie? Keith?” Why was he bothering, this suit wasn’t hooked up to the comms and there was no sound in space. Idiot.

 

He didn’t have to dig through too much, the bright red and green of their uniforms stood out amongst the debris. He floated down into their line of sight, causing both of them to jump. Keith winced at the action. Katie teared up at his presence.

 

Her arm was bent at an odd angle, and she really was tangled up with Keith pretty good. It was like they’d rolled through a mess of wires. Which, if they’d been blasted through a wall they probably had, that made sense.

 

It was amazing their suits had held up as well as they had, all things considered. He’d known they were heavy duty, they had to be to survive in space, but their durability in the middle of an explosion was surprising. They were lucky Keith and Pidge weren’t hurt worse.

 

He took the tool Coran had given him. It looked like a Taser, creating a beam of energy between two points on one end of it. It was powerful. The wires snapped in a second, and Pidge was able to drift away from Keith finally.

 

She didn’t go far. She said something Matt couldn’t hear, gaze drifting towards the beam.

 

“Trust me,” Matt mouthed, hoping she could understand him. She nodded, so hopefully it got across.

 

The beam, of course, took a lot longer to cut through. It was a small laser he was using against a very large beam, and he had to saw it back and forth to span the width of the beam. Pidge kept Keith still, but he kept flinching in pain. Fresh blood drifted up around them and crystalized. It would be pretty if it wasn’t so morbid.  

 

Matt tried to keep his hands from shaking. There was a reason he never wanted to be a doctor. Having people’s lives in his hands was far too much pressure.

 

It was taking too long, Matt decided. But he didn’t know how to speed up the process. He mouthed “Too long” to Pidge and tapped his wrist like he was wearing a watch.

 

She was puzzled at first, but then her face brightened with an idea and she aimed her good arm at the beam. A laser shot out of it, twice the size of Matt’s little tool and a solid stream that didn’t have to be moved back and forth to saw the beam.  

 

It cut the time it was taking in half, too, and that was what they really cared about. Matt wrapped Keith’s arm around his shoulders and gestured to Pidge to follow him, leading her out of the debris.

 

As soon as they were in open space, Green appeared in front of them with an open mouth. Thank _God_ because if they had to cart Keith through all that empty space Matt wasn’t honestly sure he’d survive. He’d probably already been exposed for too long.

 

They collapsed in a heap in Green, groaning and curling in on each other. Green moved without waiting for Pidge to climb up to the cockpit, and Pidge made no move to do so. She crawled over to Matt instead and leaned against him.

 

He shucked his helmet and wrapped an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

 

“I certainly don’t want to,” Pidge said. “Thank you for saving us.”

 

“Of course,” Matt said. He glanced down at Keith. Keith’s head was in his lap, and he was shivering pretty badly. Hopefully he’d gotten there in time.

 

“Still with us, Keith?” Pidge asked, reaching her good hand out to him.

 

“Y-yeah,” Keith said.

 

It was a mercifully short ride to the castle, and Coran was thankfully waiting with Matt’s crutch for them when they arrived. He took Keith and ordered Pidge to follow him, and Matt walked alongside his sister.

 

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” Matt said softly. Coran had a good lead on them, practically running on ahead.

 

“Keith shielded me,” Pidge said. “That asshole better make it.” She was close to tears again.

 

“Like Coran or Allura would let him die?” Matt joked.

 

It brought a smile out of her, at least.

 

Matt would take it.

 

Allura wrapped Pidge in a hug when they made it to the med bay. Whether she was supposed to be moving this much or not, Matt wasn’t sure. But he knew they’d all been worried. She could sleep when Pidge was put in a pod.

 

“Thank you, so much, Matt,” Allura said. “Your bravery is inspiring.”

 

He blushed and looked away, scratching at his cheek. “I wasn’t just going to let them die,” he muttered. “She’s my little sister.”

 

Allura smiled. “I’m still grateful, either way.”

 

She hurried Pidge over to the pods. Well, hurried as much as someone completely exhausted can hurry, anyway. Point was Allura got Pidge in a pod while Coran was busy getting Keith ready, and Matt went to see what he could do to help.

 

Soon enough, Keith was dressed in the weird little white jumpsuit and propped up between Shiro and Pidge, and everyone was finally able to relax.

 

They’d survived, somehow. But it had been far too close. Far too close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could have been mean and split this up but I decided to keep it all in one chapter aren't I nice?   
> Pidge and Keith bonding! It's the best! And Matt to the rescue, bet you didn't see that coming.


	8. History is Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's out of cryo and taking some time to rest up. Coran tells them the dark history of Voltron.

 

Cold was the first thing Keith was aware of, a terrible, bone-deep chill that made him shiver. Then whatever force had been keeping him upright vanished and he stumbled forward, eyes opening to bleary surroundings.

 

“I got you,” Shiro said, strong arms wrapping around him.

 

Keith blinked and leaned into Shiro. At least some of the blurriness went away, and he could see most of his team around him. Hunk sat in front of one of the other pods, still in the white jumpsuit and looking a little pale. Allura was next to him, a hand on his shoulder, but smiling over at Keith.

 

A green and orange blob tackled him, and if not for Shiro he definitely would have fallen. Not that he minded; she was warm and he was definitely _not_. “Don’t ever do that again, you asshole!” Pidge cried.

 

“Uh…sure? What exactly did I do?”

 

Pidge pulled her face away from his chest to glare up at him, eyes shining with tears. “You quiznaking protected me from the quiznaking explosion and almost quiznaking died _in my arms_ you Quiznak.”

 

Keith blinked again. Okay, yeah, he had a fuzzy recollection of something like that.

 

“Are you allowed to use that many quiznaks in one sentence?” Lance asked.

 

“Shut it,” Pidge bit back.

Keith smiled and put a hand on Pidge’s head. “Sorry, I moved on instinct.”

 

“Well don’t do it again.” Her arms tightened around him.

 

That wasn’t really something he could promise, so he kept silent and rubbed his hand over her head.

 

“Are you still shivering?” Shiro asked.

 

Keith looked up at him. “I’m still cold, so yeah.”

 

The others all glanced at each other and then over at Allura and Coran. Coran rubbed his chin. “Between your compromised suit and then being put right into cryo, your body might be struggling to generate heat.”

 

“Some real clothes and a blanket or two should be enough to warm you up again, though,” Allura said, cutting off exclamations of worry before they could start.

 

“Mmm real clothes sound nice,” Hunk said.

 

Keith wholeheartedly agreed.

 

“While you two get dressed, we’ll get some food ready for you,” Lance said. “And then we’ll fill you in on what happened.”

 

“Yeah, how did you _all_ end up in cryo?” Hunk asked. “What the Quiznak happened?”

 

“Later, go get dressed first,” Matt said, waving a hand. He turned to Keith next. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

 

Keith furrowed his brow. He had a dim memory of Matt floating in space with them and using some kind of laser tool. “I think I have you to thank for that.”

 

Matt blushed immediately, all the way to the roots of his hair. “N-no, I mean, yeah, I helped, but…”

 

Pidge let go of Keith so she could stomp on Matt’s foot. “Stop being modest. We were screwed until you showed up.”

 

Matt fell silent and just shrugged at Keith.

 

Keith chuckled. “Thank you.” Shiro helped him to his room and hovered in the hallway until Keith came back out, still cold but feeling ten times better in his own clothes. The med suits were practical, and horribly uncomfortable.

 

Lance had helped Hunk, and when they’d all gathered in the lounge again, a blanket around Keith’s shoulder and over his lap, they finally explained what happened.

 

“Holy Quiznak,” Keith muttered. They’d had close calls before, but nothing on such a scale as this. And Hunk still looked a little shaky from whatever dark magic had been used on him. Allura assured them all multiple times he’d be fine with a few days of rest and good food, but it was hard not to stare at skin five shades too pale and sagging shoulders.

 

“What I don’t understand is why Red didn’t come rushing to save you,” Lance said.

 

Keith shrugged. “My head was pretty scrambled, she probably couldn’t get a solid read on me.” Even if she had, she would have only made things worse trying to tear the beam out of him.

 

“It’s still strange,” Shiro said.

 

Keith shrugged again. He’d never made any pretenses to understand these giant sentient robot lions; he wasn’t about to start now.

 

Pidge and Matt walked in with trays of alien sandwiches and passed them out. “We’re not the best cooks,” Matt said. “But hopefully it’s passable?”

 

Keith took a bite and shrugged. He’d eaten worse, and he hadn’t had to cook this so win-win.

 

Hunk had a few suggestions for next time, but agreed they were passable for now.

 

Keith was drifting back to sleep on the couch when Coran, Allura, and Slav walked in with a bundle of paladin armor and dumped them on the center table.

 

“Sorry, we needed the space to work on these,” Allura said.

 

“And this way I can teach you lot how to fix them in case you’re ever in a jam!” Coran said, pulling on his mustache.

 

Pidge was at his side in an instant, and even Shiro leaned forward with interest.

 

They pulled out Keith’s first, since it apparently had the most damage. “Well, more like the most critical damage,” Slav corrected.

 

“That’s true,” Coran admitted. “You wouldn’t want to be caught in space with a damaged suit, eh Keith?”

 

Keith gave him a look and didn’t deign to answer.

 

“I thought our suits had self-healing capabilities?” Pidge asked, adjusting her glasses.

 

“They do to some degree,” Allura said. “But they’ll last a lot longer if they get a little help with the bigger repair jobs.”

 

Pidge nodded, and Coran launched into his explanation of how to go about repairing Keith’s suit. You couldn’t just sew the material back together, which would have been Keith’s first guess. It involved patches and spot-welding, all tools that the wrist gauntlets could create. Once things were welded, the patches dissolved and Keith’s suit was whole once more.

 

Coran held it up to show everyone. “Tada!”

 

“That’s incredible,” Shiro stated.

 

Coran handed him the suit so he could look it over closer. “Yes…the paladins of old used to have to do this all the time. They were a reckless batch, that bunch. Always getting into tight spots.”

 

Allura giggled. “Remember the time Firyoa accidentally accepted a betrothal?”

 

Coran sat back on the couch and laughed. “Yes! Oh Guvas was so mad!”

 

“So were Zarkon and Father! And Lipzo for that matter!” Allura said.

 

“It was a political nightmare when Firyoa ran away!” Coran said.

 

They went on about how Firyoa crawled through old caves to get to the green lion, ruining the ceremonial outfit the people had given her.

 

A thought occurred to Keith while Coran explained the fallout they’d had with that planet. He mulled it over for the rest of the tale, chewing on his bottom lip.

 

“They did get into quite the disasters,” Allura said fondly.

 

“Yes,” Coran said. The two were lost in memories for a moment.

 

It was now or never, Keith decided. “What, exactly, was Voltron used for, before Zarkon betrayed everyone and started the empire?”

 

The fond smiles on their faces disappeared immediately. Everyone else, though, even Slav, turned eager ears to them.

 

“You have to understand what the universe was like before,” Coran said. “Everyone was focused on survival of their own planet, so if they needed supplies from someone else they would just come in and take it.”

 

“Intergalactic wars happened all the time,” Allura said. “You could hardly travel anywhere safely without getting caught in a crossfire.”

 

“Altea always believed in peace. When we needed supplies, we tried to bargain with other planets,” Coran said. “There were some friendly folk who thought like we did, but getting to them was a trial.”

 

“We had a strong alliance with Gal, the home of the Galra,” Allura said. “They were militaristic and strict, but they were willing to trade without bloodshed.”

 

“When a meteorite of pure quintessence landed on Gal,” Coran continued. “Zarkon sent for King Alfor and his scientists to examine. He wanted to build a ship out of it, something with good maneuverability to get through all the warzones.”

 

“Things tumbled from there,” Allura picked up. “When they realized just how powerful this ship could be. A ship powered by pure quintessence would be unstoppable.”

 

“An unstoppable ship would stand against every violent planet in the universe,” Coran said. “They could use this ship to put an end to all the fighting, force the planets to trade peacefully with one another.”

 

“They made it into five separate ships as a failsafe, in case it was ever stolen,” Allura said.

 

“It was also so they could be in multiple places at once,” Coran said. “Let’s face it, sometimes one ship just isn’t enough.”

 

They’d experienced that enough before.

 

“Wait, so Voltron was built to bully people into behaving?” Hunk asked.

 

“It was built to bring peace,” Allura said.

 

“By bullying them,” Lance said.

 

“But it was working. And Voltron didn’t just attack warring planets; They helped broken down ships, planets like Taujeer that were disintegrating under the population’s feet…anything anyone needed help with. Alfor and Zarkon mediated many peace treaties,” Coran said.

 

“They also made many enemies,” Allura admitted. “One of them decided to target Gal, since that was where Voltron was built.”

 

“They destroyed it,” Shiro guessed.

 

Allura and Coran nodded.

 

“Zarkon was furious,” Allura said. “He got it into his head that people couldn’t be trusted to rule themselves, and they needed an ultimate ruler to unite them.”

 

“Alfor and the other paladins disagreed. I’ve never seen a fight like the one they had over that idea,” Coran said. “But Zarkon was the Black Paladin, and Voltron was still needed.”

 

“But if Zarkon was the head,” Pidge started, “Couldn’t he still decide what Voltron was being used for?”

 

“Yes,” Allura said. “And that’s exactly what happened.” She held her hands firmly together in her lap. “Zarkon used Voltron to do terrible things.”

 

“Alfor and the other paladins did the only thing they could, and banished him to the far reaches of the universe,” Coran said. He sighed and looked down at the floor. “Unfortunately, he met Haggar there, and he didn’t stay banished. He came back in only a few cycles, and was determined to take Voltron and find new paladins that would work with him.”

 

“That was when Alfor first locked up the black lion,” Allura said. “They continued using the other lions for a time, but Zarkon was recruiting more and more Galra and building an army.”

 

“An army with nothing left to lose,” Coran said. “And without the Black Lion, Voltron couldn’t be formed.”

 

Allura sighed. “The war went on for two years before Father put me in cryosleep. I can only assume he sent the paladins to hide the lions not long after.”

 

Coran nodded. “It wasn’t. He sent them away and evacuated the castle. I piloted it to Arus and joined you in sleep.”

 

Allura looked up, startled. “I hadn’t realized you put yourself to sleep.”

 

He smiled at her. “Someone had to be here for you if your father couldn’t.”

 

She scooted on the couch to hug him.

 

Keith and the others took several minutes to process all of that. He hadn’t expected the whole history of Voltron when he’d asked his question, but he couldn’t say he was disappointed to know. He’d been curious as to how Zarkon had betrayed them for a while, ever since he found out Zarkon used to be a paladin.

 

The worst part was, Keith sort of understood where Zarkon was coming from. He might have been acting a little extremely, but he was ultimately trying to stop all the wars. It made a twisted kind of sense.

 

“Thank for telling us this,” Shiro said.

 

Allura finally pulled back from Coran and nodded. “It was time you knew.”

 

“Man. Your father and Zarkon were like, actual friends before Voltron, and then all that happened,” Hunk said.

 

“I don’t think we need to lay it out for them,” Matt said, cutting a sharp glare to Hunk. “Pretty sure they know exactly how much it sucks.”

 

“Yeah, but, geez. That _really_ sucks,” Hunk said.

 

“Yes, well, it’s all in the past now,” Coran said. He picked up Lance’s suit from the table. “Let’s look to the future, hmm? Now, to get all these dents out of the armor…”

 

Coran continued to explain, but it was to a much more somber audience.

 

Xx

 

They ambushed and destroyed two more ships. Lotor was very impressed with the talents of this human, and Sam’s ruthlessness could rival any Galra he’d ever met. He balanced it with corny jokes (most of which went over Lotor’s head the first time) and a cheerful personality.

 

It was an absolutely terrifying combination.

 

But the man was efficient, Lotor would give him that. He’d rigged the ship they were flying to be able to hack into other ships, so they no longer needed to board the patrol ships they came across. Lotor still needed to input some info to bypass security protocols so Sam could look through prisoner logs, but for the most part he was able to read up on recent commands and news.

 

It was almost two cycles after they set out that they finally got a real lead. “Sam, listen to this! A ship in the W39A20 sector activated the VG protocol yesterday!”

 

“What’s the VG protocol?” Sam asked.

 

“It stands for Voltron-Green,” Lotor said. “The ship detected the hacking pattern of the Green paladin and set up defenses against it!”

 

“And that was only yesterday?” Sam asked.

 

Lotor nodded, already putting the screen away and inputting coordinates. “Hang on, we’ll need to double our usual speed. I’m diverting shield power to the engines.”

 

Sam put his screens away as well and started working with the ship. “We can divert power from the weapons system, too.”

 

They left a trail of dust in their wake. The speed pressed them back against the seats. Conversation was impossible; they could hardly open their mouths.

 

They reached the sector within a varga. The wreckage of the ship was easy to spot.

 

Sam played with his glasses. “Holy moly. What happened to it?”

 

Even when destroyed in battle, most ships didn’t end up this damaged. Usually half of it was still intact. There was nothing left of this ship, only twisted plating and tangled wires. The debris hovered together.

 

“Did Voltron do this?” Sam asked.

 

“I’m not sure,” Lotor admitted. “They don’t usually do such a thorough job. There’s no point; if they take out the command center it’s useless. This is excessive.” It was more like the ship had too many explosions and tore itself to pieces. “Maybe they lured the paladins on board and self-destructed.” It sounded like something his people would do.

 

“Is there any way to tell if Voltron survived?” Sam asked.

 

“We’ll have to wait and see if we hear news of them,” Lotor said. He steered the ship away. “Until then, I suppose we keep doing what we’re doing.”

 

Sam remained quiet. He pulled up one of his screens and typed away, doing what, Lotor wasn’t sure. Whatever kept him busy.

 

Lotor hoped Voltron had survived, hoped a certain blue-eyed beauty was still alive. It would just be cruel to destroy a face as beautiful as that.

 

No, Voltron was too powerful to go down that easily. They were alive. He was certain of it. Maybe they weren’t destined to reunite today, but they would, one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment or leave kudos! Comments are what fuel writers!


	9. We'll Figure it Out When We Get There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonding, breakdowns, and loud proclamations that are poorly thought through. The usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I need to apologize to all of you: Not all of this fic was written chronologically, and I just realized when editing this chapter that I got some events mixed up with Sam and Lotor's journey. I wrote the last scene with the bounty hunter after the scene in this chapter, but their part in this chapter sets up the next arc of the story and is going to be a hassle to fix. So I'm leaving it for now until I have the proper time to sit down and fix that.   
> Again, really sorry. I don't think it will effect things too much, it just bothers me that I screwed that up.

As much as Shiro hated inactivity and wanted to be constantly working towards an end of the Empire, he couldn’t deny that this downtime with his team was incredible. After learning about the history of Voltron, things had gradually cheered up again until everyone was sharing little bits of their lives.

 

Pidge demanded to talk to Keith more about cryptids and government conspiracies, and everyone else was more than happy to let them at it. Naturally it turned into what everyone else was interested in.

 

Shiro learned that aside from cooking and engineering, Hunk really liked to knit. He’d gotten Lance into it too, and they used to knit together while quizzing each other for Garrison tests. Lance really liked dancing, and he’d taken various classes as a kid in everything from salsa to tap to hip hop. Shiro in turn divulged his ability to play guitar.

 

“And he always plays Wonder Wall when you least expect it,” Matt warned.

 

Lance groaned. “Shirooo.”

 

All Shiro could do was grin and shrug. Matt’s reactions to that song were hilarious, especially if he wasn’t expecting it.

 

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Allura said. So Pidge and Matt started educating the Alteans on Wonder Wall, which led to a discussion about meme culture on Earth, and really, Shiro was only too happy when an incoming call disrupted all this.

 

It had been amazing to learn more about his team’s daily lives, though. They’d been working so well together he hadn’t realized there was still so much to learn about them. He needed to work on that.

 

Allura swiped a hand and answered the call right there in the main room. Gupthe was on the other line, looking incredibly grim.

 

“You’ll want to add Kolivan to this,” Gupthe said.

 

Shiro sat up a little straighter. Nothing that needed all three leaders present could be good.

 

Kolivan was added immediately, and Gupthe wasted no time with pleasantries. “We had refugees from Ulaqaw seek shelter with us this morning,” he said.

 

Allura frowned and pulled up a map of the systems on the table. Coran pulled the now fixed paladin suits out of the way. “Haggar is expanding the empire then?”

 

“That is not surprising,” Kolivan said.

 

“Her destruction of the planet is,” Gupthe said. “The refugees said she sucked the life out of it, destroyed everything.”

 

“If she destroyed everything, how did the refugees survive?” Keith asked.

 

“They were in their fighters outside the atmosphere. If you don’t believe me, then take a look for yourself with your scanners.”

 

Allura did just that, and Kolivan’s head bent over something as he presumably did the same. Allura gasped. “Haggar did this?”

 

The planet was a blackened shell.

 

Gupthe nodded. “At least when Zarkon was in charge, the planets were not destroyed. Not completely, not like this.”

 

“On the contrary,” Kolivan said, “this is not the first time Haggar has done this. My spies have reported similar occurrences.”

 

“And you didn’t think to mention this?” Allura demanded.

 

“I assumed when you stopped Zarkon, his witch would be stopped as well,” Kolivan said. “For whatever reason, she never seemed to be a priority for you.” There was a note of accusation in his voice, and none of the paladins were okay with that.

 

Lance jumped to his feet. “Well sor _ry_ if we barely even knew this witch existed! It’s not like we had any idea she was capable of this!”

 

“Especially if you withhold information from us,” Keith added. He didn’t jump to his feet, still swaddled in blankets, but there was no mistaking the ire in his voice or body language.

 

“I did not realize you were relying so heavily on us for your own information,” Kolivan said, accusation thick in his speech again.

 

Matt stood up, a hand outstretched to the team and to the screen. “Enough, this isn’t accomplishing anything. Let’s move on and figure out what we’re going to do about this.”

 

“Matt is right,” Gupthe said. “Haggar needs to be stopped immediately.”

 

“Agreed,” Allura said. “But we’ll need a different strategy from last time. Frontal attacks don’t work against this command center.”

 

“A quiet assassination may be our best chance,” Kolivan said.

 

Shiro glanced at his team. They’d never done anything like that. They didn’t have the training, and he doubted they had the mentality to personally kill someone from such close range. Faces hidden behind masks or far behind walls of a ship were one thing; an assassination where they’d need to sneak up close was another. He didn’t particularly wish that for any of them.

 

“Okay, and we’re sure there’s no like second Prince Lotor’s, right?” Hunk asked. “Because you know it would really suck if we go through all this trouble just for someone else to take control again like last time.”

 

“Zarkon had no other heirs,” Kolivan said. “And I doubt the witch has any.”

 

“But perhaps we should consider what is to happen once the empire is defeated,” Gupthe said. “The rest of the Galra are not going to sit back and accept that.”

 

“Someone needs to take over the empire, the way Haggar did when Zarkon was proclaimed dead,” Kolivan stated. His gaze fell on Allura.

 

Allura frowned. “I’ve told you my feelings on this already. Voltron is not working to seize power for ourselves.”

 

“But Gupthe is right,” Kolivan said. “My people are proud. If we simply kill Haggar, someone else will stand up to lead them. The only way to avoid that is if we ourselves take control.”

 

“Even if they only take control to disband the empire,” Gupthe interjected, cutting off Allura’s protests. “I agree with Kolivan on this.”

 

Allura took a deep breath. “I will think on the matter. In the meantime, we have an assassination to plan. Kolivan, can any of your blades already in the command center accomplish this?”

 

“I can ask them to try, but after what happened to Antok I am not eager to send my blades up against more druids.”

 

“So you’ll risk our lives, nice,” Lance snorted.

 

Shiro had to agree. It’d be a lot harder for one of them to sneak on board and then find their way around, whereas the blades were already in position and knew the layout of the ship.

 

“And I won’t ask them to assassinate Haggar if we don’t have a plan for what to do afterwards,” Kolivan stated.

 

Which was fair, Shiro supposed. Whatever they decided to do would need to be implemented quickly once Haggar was dead.

 

“You’ll have my opinion in two quintents,” Allura said, ending the call before further protests could be brought up.

 

“Um…what’s there to decide?” Pidge asked. “They’re both right.”

 

“I know, but I believe Kolivan intends to take control himself, and I’m not sure it’s wise to let another Galra be in control of the empire.”

 

“So… why don’t you do it?” Keith asked.

 

“That’s what I need to think about,” Allura said. She swept out of the room, not sparing any of them a backwards glance.

 

It all made Shiro’s head hurt. He was terrible at politics, and that was what this war was turning into.

 

They sat in silence for a long minute. “Alright, who else is confused?” Lance asked.

 

Every paladin plus Matt raised their hand.

 

Xx

 

Sam and Lotor had packed a lot of supplies when they’d left the work camp, but eventually it did run out. Lotor had been hoping to have found Voltron before then, but since that hadn’t happened they were left with the unappealing prospect of procuring more supplies.

 

“This planet Hysca seems like a major trading post,” Sam said, tapping the screen he was reading from. “We’d be able to blend right in.”

 

As long as Lotor wrapped a scarf around his face so no one knew he was Galra, that is. He’d have to rip up his old cloak, which he wasn’t happy about, but desperate times, desperate measures. He was also going to have to trade some of his jewelry, like the clasp from the cloak and his rings, so they’d have money to actually buy food.

 

“Give me the coordinates,” Lotor said. He wasn’t happy, but he’d make do.

 

Sam input them, and the ship charted a course. It would only take a varga to reach there.

 

He had a silver ring on his left hand, and Lotor had asked if it was valuable.

 

Sam snapped he wasn’t trading it, and that was the end of that.  

 

Lotor landed the ship amongst many no name hulls pieced together with scrap metal, spent a few dobashes with his cloak, and then stepped out next to Sam. Sam gave him a smile and stuck his thumb up.

 

“Let’s go do some trading!” Sam said.

 

Hysca was indeed a large trading post, and it had a heavy Galra presence. Lotor was glad he’d wrapped his head in the scarf; they’d have recognized him instantly. As it was, Lotor hoped no one would pay too much attention to what he was wearing. He’d scraped most of it away, but the Galra emblem was still recognizable on his armor if anyone looked close enough. For that matter, his armor was clearly Galran in design. He was betting most wouldn’t realize that with his face hidden.

 

They made their way to a jeweler’s, passing three incidents of Galrans taking advantage of the vendors. It made Lotor’s blood boil. Those vendors were innocent people, and the soldiers were practically robbing them. What made it worse was that the vendors couldn’t even do anything about it. All justice systems were Galran run; who would they complain to?

 

Lotor was understandably tense when they reached the jeweler, practically throwing the brooch and rings on the table. “How much?”

 

Sam side eyed him.

 

The jeweler picked up each piece and examined them, turning them over and over. “The brooch is luxite, correct?”

 

“Yes,” Lotor said.

 

“Very rare, very rare. And the rings are all Rewl alloy with gems from the Centari system, correct?”

 

“Correct.”

 

The jeweler nodded. “I’ll give you five thousand gac for all of it.”

 

“Only five thousand?” Lotor demanded. “This is worth ten thousand and you know it!”

 

The jeweler leaned forward, resting his weight on a squishy elbow. “I also know that only Galra are ever in possession of luxite, which means you either stole this or you’re trying to stay under the radar. Either way, I’m sure security would love to speak with you.”

 

Lotor growled. He could yank off this ridiculous disguise, reveal himself as prince Lotor and demand the respect he was due.

 

And security would still arrest him, if they didn’t simply shoot him on sight.

 

“Is five thousand enough for food?” Sam asked.

 

“For the rest of the cycle, but when it runs out we’ll have nothing left to barter with for more,” Lotor said.

 

Sam played with a little metal ring on his own finger. Lotor had asked if he would sell it before, only to receive an immediate “No.”

 

“You could always muck some stables out,” the jeweler suggested.

 

Lotor wrinkled his nose. Absolutely not. Such tasks were beneath a prince.

 

Sam sighed and pulled the ring off his left hand, offering it up to the jeweler. “If you like rare, you won’t find much rarer than that. The metal comes from a small planet on the edge of the universe. Even the Empire has never been there.”

 

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” the jeweler said, turning it over in his hands so it would catch the light. “It’s not the greatest craftsmanship, but the markings on it are incredible.”

 

“Done by artisans on that planet,” Sam said.

 

“What’s the metal called?”

 

“Silver.”

 

“Silver,” the jeweler repeated, chewing the word over.

 

“It’s from Terra Firma,” Sam went on. “The natives use such rings to signify forever bonds with their mates.”

 

“Ah, customers will like that,” the jeweler said. He rubbed his chin. “I’ll give you five thousand for this ring. Ten thousand total for everything on the table.”

 

Sam turned to Lotor. “Is that enough?” There was a heaviness in his eyes that Lotor didn’t understand.

 

“It’ll do,” Lotor said. If they spent wisely, they could eek out a month’s worth of provisions. And if they didn’t find Voltron within that time, then they’d have to think of something else.

 

The jeweler handed over the gac, and they went on their way. Sam kept staring at the back of his hand, looking at the spot where his ring had been. It was paler than the rest of his hand.

 

Lotor cleared his throat. “What you said, about that ring signifying forever bonds with your mates…was that true?”

 

“Yes,” Sam said. “In the twenty years I’ve been married, I haven’t taken that ring off once. I feel like I’ve betrayed my wife a little.”

 

He’d had no idea such a little piece of metal could mean so much. “Thank you for parting with it.”

 

“I can always get a new one when I get home again,” Sam said. “It won’t be the same, but it’s more valuable getting us food, right?” He was putting on a brave front. Lotor appreciated that. He wouldn’t be able to deal with Sam having a break down over selling a ring.

 

Sam hung back and let Lotor handle getting food, offering to at least hold bags while Lotor drifted from stall to stall.

 

“Out of the way!” someone yelled ahead of them. They turned to see about five people being shoved to the side of the road while a group of Galra soldiers pushed their way through, laughing and stumbling.

 

Lotor frowned. Just because they were Galra didn’t give them the right to treat other people like they were lesser beings.

 

“We could step in and help, you know,” Sam said.

 

Lotor glanced at him in surprise.

 

Sam smiled at him. “I see how their behavior bothers you. You can intervene. Stand up for the little guys.”

 

Some of the aliens that had been pushed aside were bigger than Lotor and Sam were combined. He didn’t understand what Sam was saying.

 

Sam must have realized that. “You want to make the universe better, right?”

 

Lotor nodded.

 

“Well even if you stop conquering new planets, you’ll still need to make sure your soldiers aren’t doing this. And you can order them not to all you like, that doesn’t guarantee they’ll listen. You have to show them how to treat others. Be the change you want to see in the universe.”

 

Lotor kept nodding. That…made an unfortunate amount of sense. He couldn’t be certain his soldiers weren’t harassing people. He’d had no idea this was even an issue until a few cycles ago, after all.

 

“Besides, you’ll want the people of the universe to support you in your efforts to overthrow Haggar,” Sam went on. “If they make it clear they won’t stand for it, the soldiers will learn and back off. Especially if the future emperor they champion is willing to side with them.”

 

There were many benefits to having the people on his side, Lotor mused. And the soldiers’ harassment did bother him.

 

“Be the change you want to see in the universe, huh,” Lotor repeated. “I like that.”

 

“A wise man from my planet said that. I’ll tell you about him sometime.”

 

Lotor nodded.

 

A loud crash drowned out the sounds of the crowd around them, and glass continued to scatter along the ground for several seconds.

 

A shop vendor, a female crab-like alien, stared at the shattered pieces in tears. “That was my best piece…”

 

“Who needs trinkets like that?” one of the Galra soldiers asked, laughing.

 

The poor woman looked heartbroken.

 

Sam nudged Lotor. “If there was ever a time, this would be it.”

 

Lotor didn’t need telling twice. He strode through the crowd. Before he reached them, one of the other soldiers knocked another painted vase to the ground. The woman made a valiant effort to leap forward and catch it, but it crashed like the one before it.

 

The soldiers laughed.

 

“That’s enough!” Lotor yelled, breaching the front of the crowd. “You need to pay for what you broke and apologize.”

 

The laughter froze for a few ticks, and then they only laughed harder.

 

“Who does this yoke think he is?” one of them asked.

 

Even some of the crowd was whispering behind him, taking a few steps back. Lotor couldn’t blame them. Sam poked his way to the front.

 

“Who am I?” Lotor asked. He reached up to tear off the scarf. The laughter and the whispers died down with the revelation of his purple skin and yellow eyes. “I am Prince Lotor. Your behavior is unbecoming of the empire, and you _will_ pay for what you’ve broken. Not just here; you’ll reimburse every trader you’ve taken advantage of in this post.”

 

“Prince Lotor?” they repeated. “The fugitive Empress Haggar wants brought to her dead or alive?”

 

“Haggar is no true empress. She has usurped my throne. I am the rightful heir, and I intend to take my throne back.”

 

They laughed again.

 

Lotor walked forward and neatly slugged the leader across the face. The rest were quick to jump to his defense, but they were all unarmed and Lotor had the better hand-to-hand combat training. These low-ranks probably spent most of their days walking patrols or standing at attention. They didn’t pose a real threat at all to him.

 

He picked their pockets while they lay dazed on the ground and handed a heavy coin purse to the woman they’d been picking on before. “I know this doesn’t replace them, but hopefully you’ll be able to make new ones with this.”

 

Her eyes bugged out when she opened the purse. “This more than covers it, sir. Thank you. But you didn’t have to…”

 

“Yes I did,” Lotor said. “This sort of behavior has gone on far too long.”

 

The crowd was still silent around him, watching. He had a moment of impulsiveness, and he jumped up on the woman’s stall. There was plenty of room now, since the two vases had been smashed.

 

More than one handheld was quickly aimed at him. Good. He wanted this to spread to the whole universe.

 

“I want everyone to know that I, Prince Lotor, intend to reclaim the Galra Empire, and I intend to reform it into something better. My people are not superior to you, and they never should have been allowed to act like it. I am sorry this has been overlooked for so long. But not anymore. You should not live in fear of us. You should not suffer abuse from us. It is unacceptable. I want to change all that. I want to make your lives better! I want you to be free!”

 

Stunned silence met his speech, which hadn’t exactly been the reaction he was hoping for.

 

Then one person clapped. And then another. And then someone yelled “Long live Emperor Lotor!” which was quickly picked up as a chant.

 

He stepped down from the stall, high on adrenaline and grinning ear to ear.

 

Someone held out a hand to help him down, and he grabbed on firmly before being passed through the crowd. He caught Sam’s proud face amongst the mass of people, and they shared a smile with one another.

 

He was going to do this. He was going to make life better for people. Because this moment right here? All the people cheering his name and trying to get close to him? That was far better than any of the fear or detached respect he was used to receiving. This was the way he wanted things to be.

 

Xx

 

“Alright Princess,” Matt said, storming into the observation deck. Allura stood looking out the windows, hugging her elbows. “What the hell is your problem?”

 

She furrowed her brow and glanced back at him. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

 

Matt stopped next to her, leaning on his crutch. “Your sudden issue with whoever takes over the empire after Haggar is gone. You have to agree that that’s the right thing to do.”

 

“It’s not as simple as that,” Allura said, turning back to look at the stars. “Whoever takes over will have to be able to handle an empire that is likely going to be against them while doing things the empire is against. It’ll be dangerous. Every move will be a fight. I don’t think the empire will accept a new ruler so easily.”

 

“Okay, but if that ruler has Voltron, you know, _the universe’s most powerful weapon_ , I think we’ll be able to change some minds. And we’ll have the Blade of Marmora and my rebels to help keep everyone in line,” Matt said.

 

“But would it be enough?” Allura asked. “What if the damage from the Empire is too great? What if we can’t stop it?”

 

“We will,” Matt said. “You have to believe that, otherwise there really isn’t any point to it.”

 

She sighed. “My father would have known what to do.”

 

Matt stared at her. “Are you sure? Because he wasn’t able to stop Zarkon ten thousand years ago. It doesn’t sound like he always made the right choice.”

 

Allura froze, and she stayed frozen for so long Matt worried she’d actually stopped breathing and turned into a popsicle on him.

 

Then she unfroze and crumpled to the ground, burying her face in her hands. “You’re right. Perhaps this whole endeavor is fruitless. If even my father couldn’t do it…”

 

 _Shit_ that hadn’t been what Matt was going for at all. He lowered himself to the floor, bad leg stretched out awkwardly and crutch clattering against the ground. “Allura, that’s not what I meant.” He wrapped her in a hug. “I was trying to tell you to stop thinking of what Alfor would do. Following his footsteps will only go so far. We need to do _more_ than that.”

 

She clung onto him, face against his shoulder. “I don’t know what that is.”

 

 _I don’t have all the answers here_ , Matt complained to himself. “It’s going to be hard. We’re going to have to take it one step at a time. First step: deciding who gets to be in charge for a while.”

 

She took a deep breath and pulled away, putting that stoic princess mask back in place. “I suppose I should discuss that matter with Kolivan and Gupthe more.”

 

“Probably,” Matt said. “And the rest of us, too.”

 

She smiled and rolled her eyes. “That was a given.”

 

“Hey Allura, Matt!” Pidge called over the speakers. “Come back to the lounge, there’s something you need to see!”

 

“We’re on our way,” Allura said, her earrings relaying the message. She stood and held a hand out to Matt, which he took gratefully.

 

“You need to explain your earrings to me one day. How do they just hang there? What keeps them from floating away?”

 

She sighed and shook her head. “I never thought I’d meet someone more curious than Pidge.”

 

Matt snorted. “Who do you think taught her?”

 

She laughed a little.

 

Matt nodded to himself. Mission: Remind Princess She’s Not Alone and Cheer Her Up was a success.

 

Xx

 

Haggar couldn’t stop cackling when Commander Grivik showed her the clip of Lotor’s dramatic speech. The little brat wanted to challenge her, did he? That had gone so well last time.

 

“Should we send out a force to arrest him?” Grivik asked.

 

“No, he’ll come to us,” Haggar said. “We’ll kill him then.”

 

“You want to let him go? What if he builds up a resistance? The people are all on his side.”

 

“They won’t be for long,” Haggar said. “What’s the next system on our course?”

 

Grivik frowned but switched the screen, pulling up a new star system. “There’s not much in this system, or any of the surrounding ones. They’re mostly uninhabited, and any resources they offer are uncharted.”

 

Haggar studied the map. Something nagged the back of her mind, some important nugget of information. But what?

 

She spun the systems around, trying to trigger whatever thought was crawling around her mind. Finally, her hand stopped on sector X9Y. This was…familiar. Why? If they hadn’t conquered it yet, she would have never been out here. Perhaps one of her patients had come from out here?

 

The nugget revealed itself and she grinned. The Champion. That was why this was familiar. He and his crew had been captured on one of these outer moons, and he’d crash landed on one of the planets when he’d escaped. All of the paladins, presumably, came from this system.

 

She grinned and started cackling again. She would succeed where Emperor Zarkon had failed. She would capture Voltron.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh Haggar's got a plan and it's mean~  
> I have exciting things happening in this story I HOPE YOU'RE READY. ARE YOU READY? ARE YOU?


	10. She Did That(TM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because sometimes, even the closest people don't always see eye-to-eye.

There was a certain feeling Lance associated with Lotor’s face, and it wasn’t pleasant. One glimpse of that lilac skin and pointed jawline made him want to puke and then hide in a secret bunker. Preferably with a few dozen assault rifles trained at the door.

 

Yet here he was, sitting in the lounge with the other paladins, watching Lotor give a passionate speech about wanting to help people. And then after Matt and Allura came back he had to watch it _again_.

 

He was going to have nightmares for a week.

 

When the video finished the second time, the group sat there in silence for a minute.

 

Matt was the one to break it, turning to Allura. “Maybe this is the answer we’re looking for,” he said.

 

She furrowed her brow. “You mean assist Lotor in taking back the throne?”

 

He nodded. “He’s the prince, less Galra will revolt if he’s the rightful ruler anyway.”

 

“That’s a fair point,” Hunk said.

 

No, no, no, _no_. “Are you kidding me?” Lance said. “He’s the last person we should put in charge of the universe!” He was creepy. It would be a disaster.

 

“I agree,” Allura said. “He is the son of Zarkon, and no matter how different he acts now he will be too much like his father. That’s inevitable.”

 

“But if we work with him, we could curb some of the ‘conquer the universe’ urges,” Matt said.

 

“We hardly know anything about Lotor,” Keith said. “How can we support some stranger for the throne?” He looked a little ridiculous having this discussion all wrapped up in blankets, but he had made no move to emerge from their warmth the entire time he’d been here since waking from cryo.

 

“Yes, I agree with Keith,” Lance said. Whatever arguments were made against Lotor he was one hundred percent behind.

 

“So maybe we start by simply recruiting him for information,” Pidge said, playing with her glasses. “He’ll have invaluable information about the inner workings of the empire, and if he’s willing to work with us we could only benefit from it.”

 

“I don’t know,” Shiro said. “This whole thing could just be an act to gain favor and support from the people. Then once he has what he wants, he’ll turn on them and continue doing exactly what his father did.”

 

“Another excellent point,” Allura said.

 

“Oh come off it,” Hunk said. “You just don’t want to support Lotor because he’s Galra and you hate Galra!”

 

“Yeah, you even said earlier you didn’t want _any_ Galra to take control after Haggar,” Pidge said. “How can we trust your judgement isn’t just bias?”

 

“Excuse me?” Allura demanded. “My issues are not because he is Galra.”

 

“There are plenty of other reasons to not like Lotor,” Lance said. Bleh, even saying the name was disgusting.

 

“Just because he hit on you doesn’t mean we can’t work with him,” Pidge rolled her eyes.

 

“He didn’t just hit on me!” Lance nearly shrieked. “He tried to make me his concubine!”

 

“Which is never going to happen,” Allura stated firmly.

 

“Wait, what?” Matt asked. “When did this happen?”

 

Lance waved his hand. “Doesn’t matter. What matters is that the guy’s a creep and you don’t put creepy people in charge of other people!”

 

“I’m not saying we make him the new emperor!” Pidge yelled. “I’m saying we get him to tell us everything about the empire and use his knowledge!”

 

“Between the Blade and the other rebels we have more than enough information,” Allura said.

 

“Didn’t we just find out today that the Blade doesn’t always tell us everything?” Hunk asked. “I’m with Pidge, I think working with Lotor is a good idea.”

 

“And how do we know he won’t give us faulty info?” Keith asked. “We don’t know we can trust him.”

 

“Okay well you never want to trust anyone, so, next argument?” Hunk said.

 

Keith leapt to his feet, blankets dropping around him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

Shiro was on his feet a second later, one arm in front of Keith. “Alright. I think we need to table this discussion for now and calm down a little.”

 

“It’s not like any of our opinions are going to change,” Pidge said.

 

Shiro glared at her. “We’ll talk again after dinner.”

 

Hunk snorted and walked out first, more than likely to the kitchen. Lance was second, and he made a beeline for Blue.

 

He couldn’t believe they actually wanted to work with Lotor. The guy attacked them. Multiple times. You don’t turn around and work with someone like that. There’d been no sign that he was having second thoughts, either. Keith was right, they didn’t know if they could trust Lotor.

 

He grumbled all the way to the hanger and while he climbed up to the top of Blue’s head, where he stretched out and put his hands behind his head. She sent a wave of comfort to him, enveloping him in her warmth.

 

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he told Blue. “There’s no way we can work with that guy.” He didn’t care how sincere he’d looked in that little video. People didn’t just change.

 

She purred. He wished she was a real cat so he could pet her. Running his hand over the metal wasn’t the same.

 

At least Keith and Allura were on his side. Shiro, too, though he seemed to be more neutral and cautious than anything.

 

It didn’t matter what information Lotor could tell them. It wasn’t worth it. Besides, what did Lotor know that they couldn’t figure out on their own? The layout of the command ship? Guard schedules? Updated planet information?

 

His gut turned to lead. Lotor would be able to offer them a lot of updated information about the universe. The castle’s outdated systems only got them so far, and Coran and Allura’s knowledge wasn’t always accurate either.

 

And, yeah, he’d know how the Empire operated. He’d know what cargo ships to intercept to do the most damage, would know where the Galra’s defenses were weakest. Having all that info at the top of someone’s head would save them a lot of time. Maybe, if they were really lucky, he’d even know Haggar’s weakness.

 

Lance’s face twisted into a grimace. Damn logic. It would be hella useful to have Lotor on their side. They could even get home faster.

 

He could see his family sooner.

 

But the guy was _so creepy_. Lance couldn’t work with him, he knew he couldn’t.

 

But if he could go home sooner…

 

He groaned and muttered a swear under his breath, rubbing his hands over his face. What were they supposed to do? What was the best option?

 

Maybe…maybe Pidge was right? Maybe if they just worked together with Lotor a little bit, just to get to know him…maybe that was the first step? If it didn’t work Lance would shove him out the airlock.

 

So why did his stomach coil at the idea of Lotor being on the same ship as him?

 

This was awful, he didn’t want to think about this anymore. He needed to be around someone else. Not Hunk, for once, because the traitor had been arguing for the other side.

 

Red prodded his mind, like she’d been waiting for him to get to this point.

 

He groaned again. “Can’t mullet take care of himself for one varga without me?”

 

Red chuckled and nudged him towards the training room. Since he wasn’t flying her anymore, she didn’t tend to use words anymore. The bond wasn’t strong enough. But she could still send worry and other vague ideas to him. Right now, she didn’t seem exactly worried about Keith, more like…more like she just wanted Lance to check on him? Or hang out with him or something? Or just suggesting someone else who didn’t want to be alone right now either?

 

Whatever; it was someone to hang out with that wasn’t Hunk.

 

He climbed down from Blue, gave her leg a pat, and went to the training room.

 

He expected to find Keith beating up the gladiator, but he actually found Keith and Shiro sparring with each other, and Keith was _not_ holding back, at all.

 

Keith was of course oblivious to Lance’s entrance, but Shiro gave him a nod and then narrowly blocked a kick to his face. Keith followed that up with a jab to Shiro’s ribs, landing the hit and throwing a few more quick punches.

 

Lance winced as one of the punches connected with Shiro’s right arm hard enough he heard it over by the door. Shiro winced too and stepped back, catching Keith’s next punch and twisting Keith’s arm behind his back.

 

“Okay, we’re done,” Shiro said. He was panting, hair sticking to his forehead with sweat.

 

Keith was in a similar state, and he still looked pissed off. He nodded though, and Shiro let him have his arm back.

 

Lance brought them two water pouches from the cabinet by the door. Coran had installed that at some point in the last month when he realized how much time Keith spent in here, but Lance had no idea when he’d had the time.

 

They thanked him and took long drags from the pouches.

 

“So…that seemed like a really aggressive spar,” Lance said, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.

 

Keith shrugged. “I needed to work out some issues.”

 

“And I wanted to make sure he didn’t overdo it,” Shiro said. He rubbed a spot on his ribs. “Next time I think I’ll just let you have at it with the robots.”

 

“Sorry,” Keith said, not sounding sorry at all. He turned to Lance. “You okay?”

 

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine,” Lance said. “Couldn’t be better.” He could do without the mental crisis, but he was dealing.

 

“Don’t lie,” Keith said. He plopped down on the ground and looked up at Shiro and Lance expectantly.

 

Shiro rolled his eyes and did the same, with Lance following only a tick later.

 

“Okay, so I’m conflicted over the whole Lotor thing,” Lance shrugged. “We all are.”

 

“You seemed pretty against it earlier,” Shiro commented.

 

“For good reason,” Keith muttered.

 

“I know,” Lance said. He played with his shoelaces, just to give his hands something to do. “But if working with him gets us home faster…” He shrugged again.

 

“Lance, you need to be comfortable with this. That’s an important consideration,” Shiro said. “You’re part of this team, too.”

 

The warm fuzzy feelings were back. There was something incredibly validating about that coming from Shiro. “Thanks, Shiro.”

 

“I still don’t think it’s a risk we need to take,” Keith said.

 

“But he probably really does know secrets of the empire we’d never find out on our own. And he already knows so much that we’d have to learn,” Lance said. It was nice to have them both in his corner. He felt included, like he was worth something.  

 

Keith frowned.

 

“There’s a lot we don’t know,” Shiro said. “Personally, I think we need to meet with Lotor before we decide anything.”

 

“That’s probably the only way we’ll get anywhere,” Keith muttered.

 

Lance couldn’t argue with that. “Okay. But if we decide he’s not trustworthy can I be the one to throw him out the airlock?”

 

Shiro laughed and nodded. “Sure.”

 

Even though a real decision hadn’t been made, and they still needed to go over things with the other half of the team, Lance felt a lot better.

 

The feeling didn’t last long. It only lasted another varga, when Coran called them all up to the control room.

 

Haggar struck again. Almost the entire Yubbon system had been destroyed.

 

“This isn’t conquering,” Pidge said. “This is just…overtaking. The planets and the people mean nothing to her.”

 

Lance was nauseous again, but for a whole other reason this time. Coran had pulled up the map of the universe around them, highlighting the Yubbon system in red. Just three systems over the Milky Way spun innocently. That was far, far too close.

 

“We’re supposed to stop this from happening.”  Allura said, fists clenched over her control station.

 

“We can’t be everywhere at once,” Keith said.

 

“If we had more allies maybe they could cause enough of a distraction that Haggar wouldn’t have time to take over systems like this,” Matt said.

 

“But people don’t want to ally with us because _this_ happens,” Pidge said.

 

Allura froze, and then her face brightened. Lance could imagine the lightbulb over her head. “That’s exactly it,” she said.

 

Everyone, even Coran looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

 

“No one will ally with us because they’re afraid of this happening, but it’s happening whether they’re allied with us or not,” Allura said. “Coran, put me on an open channel. I have a message for the universe.” She stood tall and straight, face determined.

 

“Right away, Princess,” Coran said, clicking away at his station.

 

The paladins glanced at each other. Why did Allura have to be so unpredictable sometimes? What message did she have? She was going to give Lance stress ulcers before he was twenty-five.

 

A monitor at the front of the room reflected Allura’s face back at them.

 

“I am Princess Allura of Altea,” she announced. “You likely don’t know me, but I’m sure you know Voltron. I’m one of the members, working with the Paladins to put a stop to the Galra empire. But we can’t do it alone, we need your help. We need you to resist and fight back. I know you’re scared. I know I’m asking a lot. But if we all rise up and fight back against them, they’ll never stand a chance. Voltron is willing to ally with all of you to make this happen. So please, _please_ , find your courage and fight back! They cannot be allowed to get away with their crimes anymore! We can do it if we all come together! And if you need us, we will be there. Down with the Galra!”

 

She nodded, and Coran shut off the broadcast.

 

Lance’s jaw was practically on the floor. He couldn’t believe she just did that.

 

Judging by the looks on everyone else’s faces, no one else could believe it either.

 

Xx

 

Lotor and Sam sat in silence after the broadcast finished. It had popped up while Sam was researching nearby planets. Lotor recognized the woman as one of the paladins of Voltron. Interesting that she had said she was part of it and made it sound like the paladins were separate from her.

 

More interesting, her plea for the universe to fight back against the empire. “Does she really think a few sentences will convince people to suddenly rise up and usurp the Galra?” Lotor asked. If people were capable of doing that, they would have done it already.

 

“You never know,” Sam said. He pulled up a keyboard and started typing away. “Sometimes knowing that other people are willing to fight gives you the courage to fight yourself.”

 

Had that been the real point of the message? Let everyone know that a rebellion was happening? Strange tactic, but if it worked it could be deadly effective. Instead of one force systematically taking out all the Galra, the whole universe would attack at once and overwhelm the Empire. Of course, most of these people would have little to no training and wouldn’t have access to the weapons they’d need, but it would be interesting seeing what came of Allura’s little speech.

 

“Boost the frequency another smidge and…there!” Coordinates flashed across Sam’s screen.

 

“What are you doing?” Lotor asked.

 

Sam beamed at him. “I got the coordinates of the broadcast! It’s a few systems over, but if they aren’t going anywhere soon we might be able to catch up!”

 

Lotor blinked at him and slowly grinned. “You’re a genius, Sam!”

 

He activated the engine’s full thrusters and banked a sharp right turn. If they hurried, they could find Voltron _today_.

 

He prayed they did. If he had to spend another day cooped up in a pod he was going to go insane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is a crying mess after the latest teaser trailer for season 3? August 4th can't come fast enough. 
> 
> As always, don't forget to tell me what you thought!


	11. Bet you Didn't See This Plot Twist Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunion, reunion, reunion!

Today had been far too eventful for Hunk’s liking. Waking up from Cryo and learning he’d been hit with dark magic was bad enough. He still felt achy from that, by the way. But then they’d learned about the history of Voltron and then they found out Haggar is really evil and Lotor might not be that evil and everyone had that big fight and then Allura made that epic speech and, and, and.

 

Deep breath.

 

All of that had been a lot to process in just a few vargas. But now, now that he’d finally wrapped himself up in his softest blanket and shut himself away from the universe, Coran called them all back to the control room to greet an approaching ship.

 

Hunk grumbled while getting dressed. After all the midnight drills they’d done, he could do this in twenty ticks with his eyes closed. It was a nice skill to have, some days.

 

Right now he didn’t really care. Couldn’t they turn the visitor away? Tell them to come back during visiting hours? They were the defenders of the universe and they’d all almost died yesterday, they needed their sleep. _He_ needed his sleep or he wouldn’t be able to think tomorrow.

 

Nevertheless, he trudged into the control room with his bayard like a good little paladin. Pidge looked as murderous as he felt, and Lance trekked in behind him, traces of his face mask still clinging to his face from where he’d missed in his hasty clean-up. Shiro looked like he hadn’t even tried going to bed yet, and Keith glared at Coran like he might actually shoot lasers from his eyes.

 

Huh, could Galra do that? Was that why their eyes were all one solid color? That’d be epic.

 

“Who is it?” Allura asked, looking as put together as ever. Was she ever not perfectly poised? Even her hair looked properly brushed, that wasn’t fair.

 

“They haven’t said, but they’re asking if this is Voltron,” Coran said.

 

“After your little speech earlier, I think we have to let them on board,” Matt said.

 

“We still deserve to know who they are. They’ll understand our caution,” Allura said. She nodded at Coran.

 

Coran typed a few things, and within a few ticks a monitor activated at the front of the room.

 

It showed the inside of a pod, with two people in the cockpit. One was Prince Lotor, with greasy hair pulled back in a high pony-tail. The other was human, a middle-aged male with sandy brown hair and glasses.

 

Hunk narrowed his eyes. He could swear he’s seen this guy before…

 

“DAD?!” Pidge and Matt yelled at the same time Shiro yelled “Commander Holt?”

 

Ohhh that’s why he was familiar.

 

“Mattie? Shiro?” Sam asked, leaning forward in the frame. He adjusted his glasses. “And good lord, is that Katie? What are you doing out here?”

 

“It’s a long story,” Pidge said. Her voice was distant, in awe.  “What are you doing with Lotor? Did he kidnap you? Lotor if you hurt my father I swear you will die a long painful death!”

 

Lotor glanced between the screen and Sam. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, apparently caught just as off guard as the rest of them. “I had no idea he had any relation to the Paladins of Voltron, I swear. He merely offered to assist me when I met him.”

 

“Is that true?” Pidge demanded, turning to her father.

 

“Sure is,” Sam nodded.

 

“We’d be more than happy to explain everything to you,” Lotor interjected when Sam opened his mouth again. “But perhaps we could board first?”

 

“And why should I let you on my ship?” Allura asked, crossing her arms.

 

Hunk understood her hesitance, he really did, but she was majorly underestimating Holt Determination right now.

 

“Of course they can board!” Pidge nearly yelled. She stomped over to her station. “I’ll open one of the hangers for you now.”

 

“Pidge, consider who else is on that ship with your father,” Allura said.

 

Pidge glared at her and defiantly hit the open button anyway.

 

Allura sighed and turned back to the monitor. “Try anything, Lotor, and you won’t have to worry about your throne.”

 

He nodded, and the screen cut off while they flew in. The rest of them made their way to the hanger.

 

The ship that landed was Galra in design, but it had a few scorch marks over the hull. Sam jumped out immediately, and both Holt siblings crashed into him and the three of them tumbled to the ground in a mash-up of limbs and tears. Shiro hovered for a moment before Sam reached a hand up to pull him down into the mess.

 

Lotor was slower in coming out, tossing his blaster on the ground ahead of him and raising his arms.

 

Hunk raised a brow at that. They hadn’t even asked for him to do anything like that.

 

“I know I don’t deserve your trust,” Lotor said, gaze focused on Allura. “But I truly wish to set right the wrongs my father did to this universe. I was the one who killed him, cycles ago. Haggar chased me off the ship when she found out.”

 

“So we’re supposed to trust you, just like that?” Allura asked.

 

“You have to believe me, I had no idea what the Empire was really like for most people,” Lotor said.

 

“Isn’t that convenient,” Lance stated, rolling his eyes.

 

Lotor glanced at him, and his gaze froze for several ticks.

 

Hunk didn’t even see it happen, but all of a sudden Allura and Keith were standing in front of Lance.

 

Lotor shook his head and cleared his throat. His cheeks turned a darker purple. “It’s the truth. Why else would I come here, unarmed?” His gaze lifted up to stare at Lance again.

 

Well if he wanted worst case scenarios…“There could be a tracker in your ship, leading Haggar right to us,” Hunk suggested. He didn’t really think there was. Lotor seemed genuine.

 

“There’s not,” Sam said. He was sitting on the floor with both kids wrapped under his arms, Shiro standing just behind him. “You don’t want to trust him, I get that. I’ll vouch for him, if that will make you feel better.”

 

Considering Hunk didn’t know Commander Holt, it didn’t really mean that much. But Hunk had been willing to throw out an olive branch earlier, and he hadn’t changed his mind now. He wasn’t getting any ‘traitor’ vibes from him.

 

Keith glanced back at Lance, brow raised.

 

Lance crossed his arms and looked away, almost in a pout. “He’s still creepy.”

 

Lotor looked heartbroken, staring past Keith and Allura to gaze at Lance.  

 

Hunk shifted a little to stand in front on Lance. Lance happily moved back to accommodate this. Yeah, okay, Hunk was starting to see what Lance’s problem with this guy was.

 

“I know it isn’t really ideal,” Pidge started, standing up and rubbing tear stains off her face. “But he’s already here, offering to help. Are we really going to turn him away? And if my dad says we can trust him, I believe him.”

 

Hunk nodded. It would be a waste to send Lotor away now when he was already here, serving himself up on a silver platter. “He’s got my vote.”

 

Keith and Shiro glanced at each other, and then back at Lance.

 

Interesting, Hunk thought.

 

Lance took a loud breath and shut his eyes, tilting his face towards the floor and shaking his head, muttering in Spanish. “Okay, fine, since he’s already here and all. But the second he acts evil I’m throwing him out the airlock!”

 

Hunk watched Keith shrug at Shiro and nod. Shiro nodded back and came to stand by Allura, leveling a long look at Lotor.

 

Very interesting, Hunk thought.

 

“Looks like you can stay,” Shiro said. “But like Lance said, the first sign of trouble and you’re gone.”

 

“I suppose that’s acceptable,” Allura said. She had her arms crossed and was still glaring.

 

Lotor let out a breath and nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate this.”

 

And thus began the Very Awkward Days in the castle, as Hunk called them.

 

Lotor was given a room the size of a closet with minimum furnishing and no access to anything technological, and Allura locked the door when she first left, which led to a mini argument about trust between them all again and only ended when Pidge and Hunk hotwired the door and broke the lock altogether.

 

They finally went to bed after that, and Hunk was pretty sure they all locked their own doors.

 

Breakfast wasn’t as terrible as Hunk expected. Sam explained what happened to him after he was separated from Matt and Shiro, and then each of them explained what happened to them, and then Pidge had to explain how she ended up in space.

 

Sam had this to say when she was done: “Does your mother know where you are?”

 

“She knew I snuck into the Garrison as a boy,” Pidge said, tapping her fingers together and offering a weak smile.

 

“So she thinks you’re missing, too.” It wasn’t a question.

 

“Probably, by now,” Pidge admitted.

 

Sam sighed and put his face in his hands. Hunk swore he watched a few more hairs go gray.

 

Lotor stayed silent the whole time. Most of his attention seemed focused on Lance, a fact Lance was not happy with. He kept scooting his chair farther away until he was nearly on top of Keith.

 

Allura didn’t speak either.

 

After breakfast Lotor offered all the information he knew on the command ship, filling in their basic map of the place and outlining typical guard shifts. They already knew the major weak points of the ship, but Lotor highlighted a few minor ones that weren’t usually well-guarded.

 

“Hitting here would cause a chain reaction that temporarily shuts down the engine for ten dobashes, so if you hit here and then quickly attack the weapons system, you’d leave it defenseless and be able to sneak in as many people as you want,” Lotor shrugged.

 

“But we still have to fight Haggar,” Lance said, standing as far away in the room from Lotor as he could get. “Any tips on that?”

 

Lotor snorted. “If I knew how to beat her I don’t think I’d have been chased away so easily.”   

 

Eh, fair enough, Hunk decided. Druids were terrible to deal with. His back ached at the thought.

 

“Well we have to come up with something,” Allura said. “There must be a weakness in her magic.”

 

“Did those books you read mention anything?” Keith asked. “Her magic has to be Altean at the base of it, right?”

 

Allura’s eyes brightened for a minute, but then they drooped again. “If they did, they weren’t in the parts I read.”

 

“Man, it sucks we can’t go ask another Altean,” Hunk said, mouth running before his head could decide if this was actually a good thing to say. “Why’d the only other survivor have to be evil?”

 

Matt smacked him upside the head. “Do you have any idea of tact at all?”

 

Hunk rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. “I mean maybe there are other survivors?”

 

Allura glared at Hunk and hoi boy if looks could kill.

 

Lotor’s ears flickered and he narrowed his eyes. “More Altean survivors?”

 

“Do you know of any?” Shiro asked.

 

Lotor put a hand to his chin in thought, apparently a universal gesture. “Yes. I think there’s a group of them in the Blarvtox System. Was it Blarvtox?”

 

Allura glanced at Coran. They both looked incredibly hopeful.

 

“I’m pretty sure it was Blarvtox,” Lotor muttered.

 

Coran pulled up the system in question. “Any of these planets ring a bell?”

 

Lotor went through each one, scrutinizing the name. Finally, his eyes lit up and he pointed at one. “Chsert’plath, that’s the one!”

 

Allura didn’t say anything, but she looked out at the rest of the paladins with a question in her eyes.

 

“It’s definitely worth checking out,” Shiro said almost immediately.

 

She grinned. “Coran, set a course!”

 

“Inputting coordinates now. We’ll need a wormhole.”

 

“Of course,” Allura said, calling up the towers.

 

Xx

 

_This is the most miserable planet we’ve ever been on_ , Lance decided. For starters, the sky was neon green. Like, what? He didn’t even understand how that was possible, and when Coran tried to explain it he got lost in the different chemical whatever’s.

 

It was also hot and humid, and Lance had probably sweat his entire body weight by now. The trees were purple, the vines were blue, and the mud that insisted on sucking at his every step was orange.

 

It was a terrible planet.

 

“Can we go home yet?” he grumbled. The orange mud was splattered all over his legs. It was going to take forever to clean, later.

 

“Not until we find them,” Allura said. She wasn’t even phased by the difficult hike.

 

_Stupid alien strength_ , Lance grumbled.

 

At least Lotor stayed behind on the ship. They’d all agreed that any possible survivors wouldn’t want to see a Galra. Matt, with his bad leg, had also stayed behind with Sam, who had promised to keep an eye on Lotor for them. Coran and Slav were scanning the planet from the ship for various bio-signatures.

 

The worst part was they’d had to land the lions in a clearing and continue on foot, because the tree canopy was too dense from above to get a good look around. This meant they’d been walking for an hour through the most humid planet they’d ever been on.

 

“I…hate…this…planet,” Pidge grunted. She doubled over her knees and panted. She arguably had it the worst out of all of them; being so much shorter, the mud reached up to the middle of her calves and it took considerable more effort to walk.

 

“Seconded,” Lance grumbled.

 

“Stop complaining, it isn’t that bad,” Allura said, bravely leading them all onwards.

 

Even Shiro joined in on the _Are you shitting me_ look they all gave one another.

 

“Have you found any signs of life, Coran?” Hunk asked.

 

“Not yet; between the vegetation and the planet’s unique atmosphere, it’s hard to get a signal even to you lot,” Coran said.

 

“That would explain how they’d stayed hidden all these years,” Keith said.

 

Oddly enough, that did not make Lance feel better about their situation at all. These survivors could have made it a _little_ easier to find them, couldn’t they?

 

They continued on in silence for a while. Lance offered his back to Pidge for a piggy back, and she scrambled up without any questions. The mud had splattered up to her thighs, and she went boneless on his back.

 

The only sounds for a while was their labored breathing and muttered curses.

 

And then Keith screamed.

 

Lance whirled in the mud and dropped Pidge to her feet, his bayard in hand, ready to shoot at…nothing, apparently.

 

“Uh…where’d he go?” Hunk asked.

 

Lance lowered his bayard. Keith was just…gone.

 

“Keith?” Shiro called, coming to stand on the other side of Lance. “Keith!”

 

“What the Quiznak?” Pidge muttered.

 

The woods around them were silent. Only the leaves rustled in the wind above them.

 

“ _Shiro!_ ” Keith yelled. His voice came from above. The Paladins looked up as one.

 

He was hard to make out, but luckily his red armor contrasted the purple leaves around him. Vines writhed around him, pinning most of his limbs to his side. He’d apparently managed to free one hand and pull a vine away from his face, but not for long. He grimaced as the vine lodged itself between his teeth.

 

Lance grimaced too. That had to taste nasty.

 

“I repeat,” Pidge said. “What. The. Quiznak?”

 

“Hold on, Keith!” Allura said.

 

“Lance, can you get a clear shot at those vines?” Shiro asked.

 

“Of course I can,” Lance said, lifting his bayard. Keith nodded subtly to him, entrusting Lance.

 

Lance took aim and a huge breath. On the exhale, he pulled the trigger. The vine over Keith’s head broke in two, and something in the distance shrieked. The rest of the vines around Keith’s body pulled away, leaving nothing to hold the red paladin in the air.

 

He screamed again as he fell, belatedly remembering his jet pack and only just barely saving his ankles from a terrible landing.

 

Shiro was on him in an instant, hand on his back and another held out to help him up.

 

The trees quivered around them.

 

“Oh that can’t be good,” Hunk said. He stepped closer to Lance. His bayard was deactivated in his hands.

 

Pidge’s back brushed against Lance’s. “I think we made the forest mad.”

 

“You have plant powers! Tell the forest we’re sorry!” Lance yelled.

 

“I don’t think it works like that!” Pidge yelled back.

 

Roots shot out of the ground all around them.

 

“Holy Quiznak,” Pidge breathed. “We’re sorry trees! Very, very sorry!”

 

Maybe the trees knew it wasn’t a sincere apology. Maybe they didn’t have ears. Maybe they did and they just didn’t care. Either way, the roots descended on the paladins.

 

There was a lot of screaming and shooting. They dove out of the way of the first attack, and then it deteriorated into an all-out melee.

 

Pidge slashed a root with her bayard and then used her plant…powers…bending? Lance was going to call it bending. She used her bending to keep some of the vines from reaching out from the trees again.

 

Hunk used earth bending to lift giant chunks of rock and pin the roots. He still didn’t activate his bayard, but Lance didn’t blame him. With the way everyone was running around, there was too high a chance he would hit one of them in his wide sweeps. Besides, his earth bending was _epic_.

 

Lance ‘eeped’ and side stepped a root that came out of the ground behind him. Okay, less thinking, more shooting. He blasted that root, and then just because he couldn’t keep the curiosity at bay he threw a hand out at another root. There wasn’t a lot of water here, but the mud was pretty moist so maybe…HAH.

 

The mud wrapped up around the root he had his hand aimed at and froze there. “Woo! Katara would be so proud of me!”

 

“Is now really the time?” Pidge yelled, slashing at another root. Keith ran in from nowhere behind her and cut another one down, his sword dancing with flames.

 

“That’s so cool!” Hunk said. “Think you can freeze all of them like that?”

 

“Uh…” There were a lot of roots. And more just kept appearing.

 

Keith shot fire at one of the roots above them. The flames grabbed onto it like gasoline and traveled all the way to the ground, leaving a crispy tendril in its place.

 

“You freeze what you can, I’ll burn the rest!” Keith said. “Pidge, do what you can!”

 

“On it!” Pidge said.

 

“Hunk, can you solidify the ground for us?” Shiro asked.

 

“Yeah!” Hunk said.

 

With all of them working together, it only took a few more minutes for things to settle down.

 

Lance grinned and turned to Hunk. “Way to go, Toph.”

 

Keith snorted. “Are you kidding? He’s more Bolin than Toph.”

 

“Yeah, I agree with Keith,” Hunk said. “Or should I say Zuko?”

 

Keith smiled and shrugged. “I’m fine with that.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Allura asked.

 

“It’s an earth show,” Pidge said. “The characters have elemental powers like us.”

 

“And it’s the greatest show ever!” Lance said. They continued to explain it to her while they moved on, until a large creature charged through the trees and tried to run them over.

 

They barely rolled out of the way in time.

 

“What the hell is that?” Lance asked. It was bigger than a car, with horns all along its back and black scaly skin.

 

“Dragon?” Hunk suggested.

 

It roared and charged them again.

 

“Dragon works for me!” Lance said, diving behind a tree before it passed.

 

Someone let out a war cry. Lance had one guess as to whom.

 

“Really, Keith, you reckless-”

 

“I’m over here,” Keith said, coming from behind Lance.

 

Lance looked to see him taking cover behind his own tree. He raised a shaky hand to Keith. “If you’re there, then what idiot is attacking the dragon?”

 

“You’re going to want to see this,” Pidge said.

 

Lance and Keith peered out from behind their trees and saw a group of five…forest people ganging up on the dragon. They had spears and lassos, and their clothes looked sewn together from bark and leaves.

 

One of them was knocked back towards the paladins and rolled to his feet, sparing them all a glance before running to join his friends.

 

He’d had two green marks on his face, curving under his eyes, just like Allura and Coran.

 

These were Altean warriors.

 

Xx

 

Haggar was not happy. First the brat Lotor, and now the Altean princess. There was no end of trouble with those two around.

 

It had started simply enough; the two of them could make all the romantic speeches they wanted, their words were harmless.

 

The actions that their words had inspired, however, were anything but.

 

A cargo ship of metal had been ambushed before it took off, the cargo reclaimed by the people who had shaped it.

 

Several planets had refused to pay taxes. Five outposts had already been overrun in surprise invasions, intercepting transmissions and blocking Galra communication with each other.

 

Dozens of incident reports had been made in various trading posts of people beating up and sometimes outright killing off duty Galra soldiers.

 

On their own, none of these would mean anything. Little uprisings happened all the time. Zarkon had ignored the small ones and gone about his day; they were harmless and would get bored eventually. Some of the larger ones had seen the wrath of the Galra empire, and they’d been made into examples to scare off others from attempting to do the same.

 

But this many uprisings within the span of a quintent, coming after Lotor and Allura’s speeches… these weren’t little skirmishes. This was outright rebellion. This was war.

 

_Fine. If it’s war they want, it’s war they’ll get_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Altean Survivors! Because let's be real, there's no way such a diplomatic planet was all on planet when it was blown up. Some of them had to have escaped and gone into hiding.   
> ANYWAY what'd you think of the long awaited meeting? All the Holts are together again! Isn't that exciting?


	12. Descendants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surviving Alteans aren't quite what anyone expected.

 

It took the Alteans ten minutes to bring down the dragon creature, using a combination of teamwork, ropes, spears, and brute force.

 

Pidge and the others walked out from behind the trees they’d taken cover behind, standing awkwardly in the mud.

 

One of the Alteans came over to speak with them. He held a spear in one hand and had long brown hair braided down his back. Aside from the green markings under his eyes, they also covered his arms, legs, and chest. The only clothing he wore was a short skirt made of leaves and bark, and a few bangles wrapped around his wrists and ankles.

 

“Who are you, and how did you find us?” he asked.

 

Allura stepped forward. “I am Princess Allura, daughter of King Alfor, and—”

 

Her name apparently meant a lot to these people. The one in front of them gasped and dropped his spear, and the others, who had been busy wrapping ropes around the creature to cart it off somewhere, froze and stared, openmouthed.

 

“That’s impossible!” the one in front of them said. “Princess Allura died millennia ago!”

 

“Yeah not so much,” Hunk said.

 

“King Alfor put me and his advisor, Coran, into cryo sleep when the war against Zarkon went bad,” Allura explained.

 

One of the other hunters walked over, this one a female with leaves wrapped tightly around her chest. “She has the markings,” she stated, pointing to Allura’s face.

 

“Are they all Altean?” one of the other hunters called over.

 

“No,” Shiro said, pulling his helmet off. “We’re human, from the planet Earth. We’re the Paladins of Voltron.”

 

“Voltron!”

 

“ _The_ Voltron?”

 

“It’s real?”

 

The other hunters abandoned the carcass and came over to them, curiosity alight in their eyes.

 

“We have to take them to meet the others!” one said.

 

“How do we know they speak the truth?” another asked.

 

“We have no reason to lie,” Allura said.

 

“But if you’d like to see the lions, we can prove what we say,” Shiro offered.

 

Judging by the looks in their eyes, Pidge had a feeling they didn’t care as long as they got to see the lions.

 

But then they frowned back at the carcass. “We wish to see the lions, but we must first drop this off with the others before another creature claims it.”

 

“We understand. Is there anything we can do to help?” Shiro offered.

 

 _Please say no, please say no_ Pidge pleaded in her mind. She did not want to attempt to haul that thing through this forest. Walking was hard enough.

 

Although…there were a lot of vines. She could manipulate them to carry it for them. But only if they asked.

 

“We could never ask that of Voltron,” the one with the green markings said. “We will handle it. You follow?”

 

“We’ll follow,” Shiro said.

 

They went back to the carcass and grabbed the ropes again, and then they started dragging it behind them. The mud at least made it easier to drag; instead of forcing it through solid dirt, the mud gave way a little easier. Plus they had their alien strength so there was nothing to worry about.

 

Allura walked alongside them. “Could you tell me your names? And how you all came to be here?”

 

“I am Dukhalon,” the one with the green markings said.

 

One with dark red markings and nearly paper white skin introduced herself as Trigiltha. The one with the leaves binding her chest had yellow markings and was named Romelle. The last two members of the hunting party were twins, but one had dark blue markings, named Malcu, and the other had dark purple, named Mertu.

 

Pidge was dying to ask why the twins had different colored markings, but she was afraid that would breach some sort of social etiquette thing. They’d never bothered to go over that with Allura and Coran. Their markings just simply were.

 

 Besides, Dukhalon started telling their history, and Pidge was much more curious about that at the moment.

 

“After Altea was destroyed, our ancestors crashed on this planet during the Great War. They’d been off planet at the time, so they avoided the destruction,” Duckhalon said. How did he even have the breath to speak? He was still pulling that dragon carcass.

 

Pidge could barely breathe.

 

“The crash damaged their ship, and there was so much interference from the planet itself that sending out a distress signal was nearly impossible.”

 

“Zarkon’s forces found them first,” Trigiltha continued. “He took the mages, and in return for going without a fight he left the others alone.”

 

“Why would he do that?” Shiro asked. “Why didn’t he just kill everyone?”

_Quiznak even Shiro can breathe right now? How in shape are these people? Better question, how_ out of shape _am I?_ She was going to have to hit the training deck more.

 

“We think the traitor Haggar wanted the mages for an experiment, so Zarkon took them alive. A fight would have risked their lives,” Malcu said.

 

“I wonder if all the druids are actually Altean,” Keith mused. He at least sounded a little winded, which made Pidge feel slightly better.

 

“Not like they ever give us a minute to ask them,” Lance muttered.

 

“So after Zarkon left with the mages, he just left you here?” Allura asked.

 

Dukhalon shrugged. “We were stranded with little technology and a destroyed home planet. What threat were we?”

 

“He probably expected us to die out within a generation,” Mertu grumbled.

 

“He forgot how adaptable our people are,” Trigiltha stated proudly.

 

Dukhalon grinned. “Yes. Our ancestors learned the ways of this planet and made it a home.”

 

“We’ve passed down the legend of Voltron for generations,” Romelle spoke up. She glanced at each of the paladins. “We always knew Voltron would one day come back for us. I hope you are who you say you are.”

 

“I promise you, we are,” Allura said.

 

“Well, we’ll soon know,” Dukhalon said. There was a break in the trees, and a village spread out before them. There was a field of marshy grass, and then rows of huts stretched on for half a mile.

 

A few children paused in a game and ran to greet the hunters. They wore more modest clothes, tunics belted at the waist and knee-high boots. They froze at the sight of the strangers.

 

Pidge offered a wave and a smile.

 

Dukhalon turned to his hunters. “I’ll bring them to King Callise. You lot handle this beast.”

 

They nodded and dragged the carcass around the edge of the field while Dukhalon led the rest of them towards the village. The children parted in front of them and watched as they passed. There was only about ten of them.

 

Judging by the size of the village, Pidge had to wonder if that was all of them.

 

The huts were made of mud and straw; flowers grew in the walls. Vines stretched across the roofs, alien tulips and wooden chimes hanging down. Lance reached up and brushed his hand over one of the chimes, letting the wood clack together.

 

The Alteans they saw here wore tunics similar to the children. It seemed to be just the hunters that wore the bark and leaves. A uniform, perhaps? Was hunting easier dressed like that? That would make sense, freedom of movement and all that. The mud also seemed like less of an issue in the village, more than likely due to years of trampling it. Or maybe they mucked it out on a regular basis.

 

So many questions, so little time, Pidge mused.

 

Dukhalon led them to the center of the village. There was a pavilion here, vines strung around the pillars and dotted with glowing flowers like Christmas lights. Only a few Alteans were inside, gathered around a table and planning something.

 

Dukhalon cleared his throat and went down on one knee. “King Callise, we have visitors.”

 

All the Alteans at the table froze and looked over the paladins. Pidge picked out Callise easily; he was the only one with a piece of metal twisted into a vague crown shape, something valuable only in symbol.

 

“Vistors?” he repeated.

 

Allura stepped forward and curtsied. “King Callise, I am Princess Allura, daughter of King Alfor. I understand your doubts, but please believe I am telling the truth.”

 

Callise laughed and leaned back on the table. “You want me to believe you’re actually alive after all this time? And let me guess, you brought Voltron with you?”

 

“I did indeed,” Allura said. She swept to the side and gestured to the paladins.

 

Pidge tried not to look down at all the mud splattering her uniform. It detracted a little from the ‘impressive’ look they were usually going for.

 

Callise blinked. “Is this real?”

 

“Quite real,” Allura said. She explained her ten millennia in cryo and then outlined everything that had happened since she woke up. “We recently found out there may be other survivors, and I insisted on finding out for myself if that was true.”

 

“That’s amazing,” Callise said.

 

“So you believe us?” Hunk asked.

 

“I’m not sure who else would bother to come to this miserable planet,” Callise said.

 

“Sire!” one of the others around the table groaned out.

 

Callise shrugged and smiled at them all. “But I must ask, what else were you hoping to accomplish with this trip?”

 

Allura looked back at the others. “To be honest, my main hope was just finding you. It makes me very glad there are more Alteans out there and that Coran and I are not the last ones.” 

 

“We’re a stubborn lot,” Callise said. “We don’t go down that easily.”

 

Allura smiled.

 

“So since you’ve found us and accomplished everything you wanted, what happens now?” Callise asked. “Are you going to leave and come visit every few cycles when you’re homesick?”

 

“No, I…Well…” Allura bit her lip. Everything had happened so fast, none of them really had a plan beyond ‘find them.’

 

“Perhaps,” one of the advisors stepped forward. “If the Princess doesn’t mind, perhaps some of our people could join you in the stars again?”

 

Wait, what? Pidge thought, experiencing mental whiplash as she processed that statement.

 

Allura’s beaming smile was blinding. “I would _love_ if you wished to join me.”

 

“We will pose the option to people later,” Callise said. “During the feast to welcome our first guests in ten thousand years!”

 

“The Waquaoi my hunters and I caught today would be the perfect meal,” Dukhalon offered.

 

“Perfect!” Callise said, spreading his arms. “Men, go spread the word! We’re partying tonight!”

 

“Alright,” Lance said. “My kind of people.”

 

Pidge rolled her eyes. She couldn’t deny she was a little excited, though. It had been a while since they could unwind. Maybe while they were setting up she could ask them some questions…

 

Xx

 

The feast went wonderfully, in Allura’s opinion. King Callise introduced them and toasted their arrival, and then he mentioned that people would be welcome to leave with Voltron when they were ready to go.

 

The crowd dissolved into murmurs at that, and then everyone was free to mingle. Coran had landed the castle in the field on the edge of the village, and he, Matt, and Slav had come out to meet everyone. Sam stayed inside to watch Lotor, and they all agreed to take a shift watching him so Sam could have some fun, too. Except Lance. Lance wasn’t allowed near Lotor alone.

 

No one fought her on that issue.

 

The lions flew over and hovered in the air before slipping into their hangars. The field was barely large enough for the castle, and there wasn’t any extra room for the lions to land. But they opened the hangars for people to get a closer look. The Alteans were surprisingly reverent with the lions. In the past, people had climbed all over the lions and couldn’t keep their hands off. But the Alteans bowed before them and only reached one hand out, if any, like they were making sure it was real.

 

And then the mingling began. Most people wanted to know what it was like to live in the stars, and they all got the same wistful look on their face when Allura talked about it.

 

It made her heart ache. Her people had been traversing the galaxies for a thousand years before she was even born. It was in their blood. The only survivors of her kind had been stripped of that. They’d been stripped of even the technology to stay up to date with the outside universe.

 

They hadn’t even known Zarkon was still alive.

 

But oh, when they found out…

 

“I’ll kill that wrackspurt myself.”

 

“He’ll face the wrath of a pack of gnylocks.”

 

Angry faces, swears she hadn’t heard in ages, threats to make him pay, vows to assist and protect her. Promises to succeed where their ancestors had failed.

 

All at once she had a community again. It thrilled her, helped fill that gaping hole in her chest that had been there since she woke up with strangers in the control room. It wasn’t quite the same. There was a lot of her culture still gone forever, little nuances lost to the ages, but it helped.

 

After a few vargas, though, even she needed a break, so she slipped into the castle ship to take over Lotor duty from Keith.

 

They were on the training deck, of course, Lotor teaching Keith some new combat moves. Keith didn’t seem thrilled to rejoin the party, but he left without a fight, leaving Allura and Lotor alone together.

 

Lotor sipped on a water pouch. “You don’t have to babysit me, you know. I’m not going to run off with your ship. I have nowhere to go.”

 

“If you were a traitor this would be a perfect time to steal the lions,” Allura said, crossing her arms.  

 

“It’s a good thing I’m not a traitor, then, isn’t it?” Lotor said.

 

Allura sighed and finally took a seat next to him against the wall. “I didn’t come here to flaunt my distrust in your face.”

 

“Babysitting, distrust, same thing,” Lotor shrugged.

 

She frowned.

 

“But I understand why you’re doing it,” Lotor admitted. “You have to be cautious. It would be foolish for you not to distrust me, considering who I am.”

 

Allura wrapped her arms around her knees. They sat in silence for a while, until Lotor spoke again.

 

“What are the Alteans like?”

 

She smiled fondly. “They’re wonderful. That planet was considered inhospitable for years, but they’ve thrived there for millennia. They know so many tricks to get around the deadly wildlife, and they’re all wonderfully friendly.”

 

“Everything you wanted, then?” Lotor asked.

 

She didn’t answer right away. The questions scooped out her stomach, leaving a hollow emptiness behind. “May I be honest? And you’re not to speak a word of this to anyone.”

 

He raised a brow. “Awful lot of trust to put in someone you don’t trust.”

 

She glared. “Fine then, I won’t speak.”

 

“No, I’m sorry, I won’t tell anyone. Please, speak your mind.”

 

She chewed on her lip, debating. Even if he did tell anyone, it wasn’t really that bad. It just made her sound ungrateful and whiny. “The Alteans…they’re not what I wanted, not exactly. They adapted to their surroundings, but in doing so, they lost so much of who they used to be. We were diplomats and scholars, and these survivors…”

 

“Not a lot of time for scholar when you’re trying to survive a death planet,” Lotor stated.

 

“No,” Allura said. “They’re descendants of my people, but they don’t feel like my people at all. It still feels as though I’ve lost Altea.”

 

It killed her to admit it. Everyone expected her to be ecstatic about the discovery, but it was bittersweet, if anything.

 

“You know, even if Altea hadn’t been destroyed,” Lotor started, “it wouldn’t be the same today as it was before your stint in cryo.”

 

That was true, she supposed, but that was harder to admit to herself. “I never would have guessed ten thousand years of evolution would show us regressing to such a primitive lifestyle.”

 

Lotor shrugged. “They did what they had to do. Alteans were good at that.”

 

She sighed and nodded, and they sat in silence for a few dobashes. “How did you know about the Alteans anyway?”

 

Lotor took a long drag of the water pouch. “My father told me about them decaphebes ago, when I asked him what happened to Altea.”

 

Allura’s hands tightened on her biceps. She still couldn’t believe Zarkon had destroyed Altea like that, considering he knew what it felt like. Considering he’d been such close friends with Alfor.

 

“It always surprised me that he knew there were survivors,” Lotor said. “He always made it sound like you pacifists would ruin the universe with your inaction.”

 

“He expected them to die out within a generation,” Allura spat.

 

“I don’t think so, not the way he talked about them to me,” Lotor said. He twisted the empty pouch in his hands. “He said they were harmless now, so there was no reason to destroy what was left. I think part of him wanted to keep them alive for Alfor’s sake.”

 

Allura froze at that. She wanted to believe that, wanted to believe that all those years of friendship had meant _something_ to Zarkon, but it was so hard, when looking at everything else that Zarkon had done.

 

“That stuck with me, you know?” Lotor said. He still played with the pouch, keeping his gaze focused on something else. “Only destroy what you have to.”

 

Allura snorted.

 

“You don’t have to believe me,” Lotor said. “But I really have tried to live by that. It’s why I was so bothered when I found out what my soldiers are really up to out here.”

 

“You really had no idea?” Allura asked. Truthfully, she didn’t know what individual soldiers did on individual planets either. She’d been more concerned with the big picture stuff.

 

“None,” Lotor said. “I was raised at Central Command, and then when I was old enough I took control of a colony. I never had the chance to explore much outside the system.”

 

She still couldn’t believe his ignorance. He had to have known that people were being treated unfairly as a whole.

 

“It’s not an excuse,” Lotor said. “I know that. But I’m trying to make up for my negligence now.”

 

Allura took a long breath. None of them could change the past, but Lotor was trying to change the future. His sincerity was questionable, but what else could Allura ask for?

 

“Thank you,” she said, and offered him a small smile.

 

He smiled back, hesitant and unsure.

 

It was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise Allura and Lotor bonding. They have demanded to be friends I couldn't stop them, I'm sorry. (They are not being shipped together though. I don't do romance.) 
> 
> And we have Alteans! Who picked up on the little easter egg with them? ;)


	13. Return of the Gremlin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that a surplus of Alteans have joined the castle ship, it's a lot more crowded than it used to be. The adjustment period is a little rough.

Keith was twitchy. On the walk from his room to the dining room for breakfast he’d passed three Alteans, and there had been about eight more already eating breakfast. He didn’t even know what breakfast was, they’d cooked something up ‘as thanks.’

 

They were also apparently all morning people and kept talking. To him.

 

“Tell us about your planet!”

 

“Well, it’s got a lot of water and forests…”

 

“What about the people? Are you warriors or artists or what?”

 

“Um…all of the above? We do a bit of everything.” It was too early for this.

 

When Hunk walked in Keith said, “Hunk can tell you a lot about the technology on our planet!” and slipped away when they weren’t looking.

 

He breathed a sigh of relief in the hall. He hated having that much attention on him.

 

Since he hadn’t seen any of the others yet, he went to the control room first. Coran was giving a lecture on how the ship worked to a few people, and when he spotted Keith he attempted to rope Keith into something.

 

“Can’t! Got to train!” And he ran, again.

 

 _Quiznak_ it had taken him ages to get used to six other people, most of whom he was mentally bonded with in Voltron. How was he supposed to get used to like…fifty more?

 

“Um, excuse me?” someone asked.

 

Keith glanced to see one of the Alteans. She was one of the hunters they’d seen on the first day. Ronnie? Rolo? He couldn’t remember. He wasn’t supposed to learn all their names, right? Because he was never going to remember so many names. “Yeah?”

 

“You are Keith, correct?” she asked. She wasn’t wearing the foresty outfit today, instead dressed in a far more conservative green tunic belted at her waist.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“And you fly the red lion?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

She nodded. “I am Romelle. My father is King Cassius.”

 

Oh great, another princess. The last thing this ship needed was more royalty.

 

She must have read his less than pleased expression, because she was quick to add: “I don’t expect to be treated any differently, I know I have no rank here.”

 

What was he supposed to say to that? Was he supposed to say anything? He didn’t want to say anything. He wanted to go hit stuff.

 

“I’m the youngest of four children, which is why father allowed me to come. I suppose I’m like an ambassador, for him. Oh, but I still intend to work! Whatever you need, I can learn.”

 

How about leaving him alone? Could she learn that?

 

“Well, I just wanted to officially meet you,” Romelle said. She reached a hand up and scratched her cheek, probably catching on to the strong ‘go away’ vibes Keith knew he was giving off. “I’ll be on my way to breakfast, then.”

 

He nodded, once, and turned to continue on his way.

 

“Wait, I have one more question!” she called.

 

 _Why?_ He just wanted to go beat droids up in peace.

 

He forced himself to turn around.

 

She was blushing. “Could you tell me how to get to the kitchen?”

 

Keith gave her directions and continued on. He had to give no less than six others the same directions on his way to the training room.

 

He has not spoken to this many different people since his Garrison days over a year ago. And then he’d lived in near isolation for a year. He _liked_ the isolation. He liked having few people around. Six others in the castle had been an adjustment, and then two more. That was a good number he could handle that many people.

 

This? This was insane. He wasn’t sure he could handle it.

 

 _Thank Quiznak_ the training room was empty. He pulled out his bayard and started training level three. Training was simple, training he could handle. And if his intense fighting kept people away, so much the better.

 

He noticed the door open and a few faces peek in a few times, but he ignored them and they went away. It was just him and the gladiator.

 

Until Lance.

 

“End training simulation!” Lance called.

 

Keith’s swing went wild and he whirled to regain his balance. “What was that for?”

 

“Do you know how long you’ve been in here?” Lance asked, fetching a water pouch from the cubby.

 

Keith shrugged. It was hard to keep track of time in space.

 

“It’s been three vargas. Time to take a break.” He tossed the water pouch.

 

Keith caught it on reflex. “I’m fine.”

 

Lance snorted. “Tell that to Red, would you?”

 

Keith’s face heated up. Had he really been that out of it Red had started worrying?

 

Probably, that sounded like him.

 

“Come on, you need out of this room for a while,” Lance said, making a ‘follow’ motion with his hand and walking towards the door. He didn’t look back to make sure Keith followed.

 

Keith debated not following.

 

Red growled in his mind.

 

Keith deactivated his bayard, clipped it to his belt and followed. He poked the straw through the water pouch while they walked. “So where are we going?”

 

“A room I’m marking off as ‘Paladins Only,’” Lance grinned back at him.

 

“Can we do that?” Keith asked.

 

Lance shrugged. “Well I did, so yes.”

 

It wasn’t that far of a walk, and they ended up in the lounge with the Game Flux system. Lance dropped down to the lower level and reached over to start it up, picking up the controllers and holding one out to Keith.

 

Keith blinked before stepping down and accepting it. “Isn’t there something we should be doing?”

 

Lance snorted. “We’ve got like fifty people to do stuff for us now. Other than battle planning, training, and kicking butt in our lions we don’t have to do anything.”

 

The game loaded, and they sat down and started playing. They didn’t do the same level Keith had done his first time, instead they were playing some cloud level. His character kept falling through them.

 

“Are you playing without me?” Pidge demanded, her voice echoing.

 

Lance paused the game in shock and they both looked at the door that had never opened. The ceiling clanged above them, and then a grate slammed open and Pidge dropped down, landing on the couch with her laptop cradled in her arms.

 

“ _Quiznak_ Pidge!” Lance shrieked. “You have got to stop doing that!”

 

Keith blinked and glanced up at the vent. “Do you hang out in the vents often?”

 

Pidge righted herself and fixed her glasses. “When I’m trying to avoid lots of people? Yes. Now give me one of those controllers I want a turn.”

 

“You can have mine, I need to restart my heart,” Lance said, tossing the controller. He turned to Keith. “How did that not scare the crap out of you?”

 

“I think I’m too tired,” he admitted. Now that he’d been sitting for a while, he was starting to feel the three vargas of training. His limbs were heavy and his reaction time was slow, and more than one bruise was making itself known.

 

“Then you’ll be easy to beat,” Pidge stated.

 

Keith put up a valiant effort, but Pidge not only finished the level first she also died far fewer times _and_ caused his own death five times.

 

Keith handed his controller to Lance and leaned back on the couch, content to watch for now.

 

The door opened and Hunk said, “Oh, you guys are in here, too.” He sat next to Keith and Keith gave a little wave. “Don’t ever abandon me like that again, you hear? I only just got away from them.”

 

“You mean the guys from breakfast?” Keith asked. Even he knew that was a long time ago. It had to be close to dinner by now.

 

“Alteans are scary curious! They want to know _everything_! I had to explain basic electricity and then the fundamentals of computer coding and then they wanted to know if the lights in the castle worked the same way as what I described, which they don’t but I didn’t know how they actually worked so we took one apart, and if anyone asks you don’t know why half the dining room is dark now, okay?”

 

Keith blinked and nodded.

 

Hunk breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in the couch too. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool to see so many people in the castle for once, like it was meant to be. It’s just a lot to handle right now.”

 

Lance snorted. “Don’t have to tell him.”

 

“Right, introvert, this must be hell for you,” Hunk said.

 

“You have no idea,” Pidge muttered. “One of them wandered into my lab and started poking around with my laptop.”

 

“Do we have to help you hide the body?” Lance asked so seriously Keith just assumed it must be true and didn’t even question it.

 

“Please I would have hidden it ages ago and no one would ever find it,” Pidge said. She twisted in her seat, pulling the controller up high, and grimaced while she smashed buttons, before returning to normal. “But no, I restrained myself.”

 

“Aw, I’m so proud of you,” Lance said. “Hey! Not cool!” On screen, his character was pushed into a pit filled with deadly spikes by Pidge’s character.

 

“Whoops,” Pidge grinned at him.

 

Hunk and Keith laughed. They watched the two of them play for a while, Hunk jumping in for a few rounds while Pidge pulled out her laptop.

 

Eventually they grew hungry though, which raised a dilemma.

 

“We can’t go out there,” Pidge said.

 

“They’re everywhere out there,” Keith agreed.

 

“We can’t just avoid them forever,” Hunk said.

 

“Can’t we at least avoid them tonight?” Lance sagged into the couch. “They always ask so many questions.”

 

“They’re just curious,” Hunk said.

 

Pidge and Keith shared a glance. They were not going out there and dealing with people. Pidge’s gaze rolled up the ceiling and her eyes widened.

 

“I have an idea. It’s crazy, and it’ll need teamwork.”

 

“Then we can say we spent the day team bonding, I’m in,” Lance said.

 

“What is it?” Keith asked.

 

She pointed at the vent. “I can crawl through the vents to the kitchen, steal some food, and bring it back. But you’re going to have to sit on each other’s shoulders to get me up there.”

 

Was it a terrible idea? Yes. Should they have sucked it up and walked through the halls like normal people? Yes. Were they tired and slightly stir crazy from playing video games half the day? Also yes.

 

Which was why five minutes later found Keith with Pidge on his shoulders, hanging onto his hair for dear life, while he clung to Lance’s head and tried desperately to keep his balance. Hunk sat on the couch, and Lance was attempting to step over his shoulders and make this as easy as possible.

 

Keith was going to lose hair because of this, he was sure.

 

Lance finally got onto Hunk’s shoulders and Hunk stood up, and Pidge could almost reach the vent. She was a foot too short. “Alright, Hunk, you’re going to need to stand on the couch.”

 

They were going to die, Keith decided. His tombstone was about to read “Died by doing the stupidest thing possible.” It wasn’t all that shocking, actually.

 

“Okay, everyone hang on,” Hunk said. Very, _very_ , carefully, he lifted one foot and set it on the couch. The movement only jostled their tower a little bit.

 

And then he raised them all up with that leg and brought his other foot onto the couch. That jostled them a lot. Keith felt his stomach drop out somewhere in the swaying.

 

Then Pidge grabbed the vent and everything froze. “Oh my Quiznak,” she muttered. “Okay, just a sec.”

 

“We should totally do a Chicken fight when you get back,” Lance said.

 

“Let’s not,” Keith said, grimacing as Pidge nearly kicked him in the face in her scramble to get into the vent. She stood on his head and pushed herself in the last bit.

 

“Woo! Okay, stand by, I’ll be back!” Pidge promised.

 

And now the trio was left with the struggle of dismantling their human tower.

 

Hunk tried to step down gently from the couch so they could simply undo the process, but going down was a lot harder to keep balanced than going up, and they swayed just a little bit too far.

 

The floor was just as hard in here as it was in the training room. Keith groaned and filed that away for later.

 

“Holy Quiznak are you guys okay?” Hunk asked, hovering over them.

 

“I can’t believe we did that,” Keith said. He rolled over onto his back and decided that was far enough.

 

“That was _epic_ ,” Lance said. He also decided to stay on the floor, and one glance between the two of them sent them into a giggle fit.

 

“Okay, yeah, you guys are fine,” Hunk said, waving a hand and collapsing back on the couch.

 

“Next time,” Lance said between giggles, “next time we got to get Shiro, and we’ll build Voltron!”

 

The mental image of the five of them forming a cheerleader pyramid sent Keith into hysterics.

 

They were still like that when Pidge returned fifteen minutes later with a giant bag of food goo and handful of utensils. She set the bag on the table and they all ate out of it. It was one of the weirdest meals Keith had ever had.

 

He loved every second of it.

 

Shiro came in when they were scrapping the last bits out of the bag. They all froze like little kids with their hands in the cookie jar.

 

“Have you guys been in here all day?” he asked, taking a seat on the couch and kicking his feet up on the table. He looked exhausted.

 

Keith felt a little bad. They should have been helping out, not hiding out.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Knew I should have followed Hunk when I saw him running,” Shiro muttered. “It’s insane out there! Every time I turn around I have to explain something else to someone! Do you know how many times I had to answer “How do you open the doors?” The answer is too many times.”

 

And the guilt kept growing.

 

“Can’t believe you all abandoned me to hide out here all day,” Shiro grumbled.

 

“To be fair, Keith and I came in first a little after lunch and that was to make him stop training,” Lance said.

 

Huh, Keith hadn’t even realized he’d skipped lunch. He hadn’t really had breakfast either. Whoops.

 

Shiro raised a brow at Keith.

 

Keith shrugged. “Too many people all of a sudden.”

 

“Agreed,” Pidge said. She scraped out the last spoonful of goo.

 

Shiro stared at the bag for a moment. “Do I want to know the story behind this?”

 

Keith glanced at Lance and they dissolved into laughter again.

 

Hunk groaned and put his head in his hands. “No, Shiro, you really don’t.”

 

“I don’t understand why they keep laughing,” Pidge said.

 

Shiro nodded and switched his attention to the Game Flux. “So, who wants to teach me how to play this thing?”

 

“Dibs!” Lance yelled, pouncing on both the idea and the controllers.

 

And that was how they spent the rest of the night, holed up away from all the new members of the ship.

 

Keith wasn’t good with a lot of people, but he could handle this. He could handle his team, his family. This was good.

 

Xx

 

Allura backed away from the door slowly, letting it shut. The Paladins were all on the other side, playing that video game and laughing. It sounded like they were having a lot of fun.

 

“Something wrong?” Matt asked, scaring her. “Sorry.”

 

“No, it’s alright,” Allura said, hand over her heart when she turned to face him. “I was simply checking on them.”

 

He had a white brace wrapped around his leg, a prototype he’d just finished today. How he’d found time, she had no idea. She’d been busy running around trying to train a few of the Alteans on different systems and make sure everyone had a job they could do. Shiro and Coran had helped immensely, but she’d hardly glimpsed the other paladins all day.

 

At least Lotor hadn’t been an issue. They didn’t like that he was Galra, but they were willing to believe he was on their side, partially because they were personally so far removed from the war. And once they learned that he’d personally killed Zarkon, they were head over heels for him. He’d been able to entertain a good number of them.

 

Seeing the paladins now, all together like that, hurt, for some reason. She knew she could join them; they’d welcome her and include her. But it felt like intruding. They were the paladins. She was the princess.

 

Matt nudged his arm against hers. “Don’t look so glum. Why don’t we do something while they unwind?”

 

She looked over at him in surprise and smiled. “I’d like that. What did you have in mind?” It sounded like exactly what she needed right now.

 

“Uh…” He apparently hadn’t thought he’d get this far. “I can braid hair?” His voice went significantly higher when he offered.

 

She giggled. “That sounds wonderful.”

 

“Really? Okay, then, um…another lounge?”

 

She nodded and led the way to a different lounge. There were several around the castle, some of which their new guests had already started exploring. This one was abandoned for the time being. It looked identical to the one the paladins had claimed, only lacking the video game system they’d set up. She sat on the couch, and he sat on the back of it, the part that was even with the rest of the floor.

 

He started by running his hands through it. “Damn, your hair is _soft_.”

 

“It better be, all the care and attention I’ve given it all my life,” Allura said.

 

He laughed and began sectioning it off. “Katie used to have long hair, and she took care of it religiously. For a while she actually brushed it with a hundred strokes before bed every night, to make it shinier.”

 

His fingers worked delicately with her hair, as delicate as his voice had become.

 

“I can tell she hasn’t kept up with all that care since she cut it,” Matt said. “And I get it, I do, she was pretending to be a guy and it’s rare for guys to care about their hair that much, but…I still miss it. I miss everything from before that stupid Kerberos mission.”

 

“There’s nothing that says she can’t start all that care again,” Allura said. “Long hair isn’t easy in a war, but it can be done.”

 

“Nah, I don’t think she has any desire to do it anymore. The new look suits her just a little too much.”

 

It was silent for a while. His fingers kept working through her hair, pulling small strands into the large masterpiece he was weaving along the back of her head.

 

“There, all done,” Matt said, sitting back and putting his hands in his lap. It was a simple French braid, loose at the end because he had nothing to tie it with.

 

She skimmed her fingers over it, feeling the braid. They had nothing for her to see it herself right now, but it felt like it would last long enough for her to get the general idea later. “Thank you.”

 

“Nah, thank you,” Matt said, scooting over and dropping onto the couch next to her. “I didn’t realize how much I missed doing that.”

 

“Well, whenever you have the urge, just ask,” Allura said. “The mice could even teach you some of their…unique styles.”

 

He put an arm against his forehead and leaned back, sighing. “Outshone by mice.”

 

She giggled. “I’m sure they could even do something with your hair.”

 

“Mine?” he repeated, leaning forward again. He grabbed the end of his hair by his shoulders. It wasn’t any longer than Keith’s, and it had more layers than Keith’s did, but Allura was sure the mice could still do something with it. It would be amusing to watch, at any rate.

 

Speaking of the mice, she hadn’t seen them all day either. She called out to them with her mind quickly, checking in that none of their guests had tried to eat any of them. They reported they were fine, and now that they knew where she was they were on their way.

 

She leaned back. It had been a stressful day, and tomorrow promised to be even more stressful. She needed to talk with Kolivan and Gupthe, there was more training to put the Alteans through, and Haggar had to be up to _something_ by now, she just knew it.

 

Hands squeezed her shoulders. “Relax, would you?” Matt said. “I can see you tensing up over whatever you’re thinking.”

 

“Sorry. There’s a lot on my mind.”

 

“That’s why we’re taking a few hours off,” Matt said. “So relax, okay?”

 

She could try, she supposed. Worrying about things right this second wouldn’t solve anything.

 

Hopefully this would all be over soon.

 

Xx

 

“We’re approaching sector X9Y, your majesty,” Commander TK said.

 

It wasn’t much of a sector, mostly barren planets. But it held the most valuable thing in the universe for her: Voltron’s complete surrender.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is hands down my favorite chapter. It was so much fun to write and I love everything about it. I hope you did to.


	14. The Ultimatum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surrender or let Earth be destroyed? When faced with choices like that, there's really only one option.

Being the only person who actually knew how to run the castle was stressful. Before, the stress had been because he was the only person who could fix anything or even guess at what was wrong in the first place. Now the stress was focused on teaching so many people at once.

 

But it was _so worth it_ to see crew running through the halls again, and to have crews at all. There weren’t enough people to cover every task perfectly, so a lot of jobs were doubled up and everyone was expected to help with cleaning, but it was an improvement over what it had been before.

 

Or at least it would be, once Coran wasn’t running around like a crazy yelnap trying to keep the chaos at a minimum. He’d recruited the paladins to help today; no more of that hiding away stunt they pulled the day before. Hunk was in charge of the kitchen team, Pidge was teaching a crew about the teleduvs and the engines, Keith and Lance were on the castle defenses, and Shiro and Allura had the navigation team.

 

The Alteans were all good students, but they’d come from a planet where the highest form of technology available were sticks. They’d even lost touch with their shapeshifting abilities through the generations.

 

Coran’s heart broke a little at the thought. Alteans they may be, but Altea and its beautiful culture was still gone.

 

No matter, he still had work to do. He and Slav were taking a crew around for daily maintenance, going over some of the finer mechanics of the ship. This would also be the crew responsible for emergency repairs.

 

It was good to have so many people on board the ship again. The halls had been too quiet with just him, Allura, and the Paladins. Now they’d be filled with life, like they were supposed to be.

 

His bracelet beeped, letting him know there was an incoming transmission and that it was urgent. He left Slav in charge and hurried to the control room, making it there only ticks before Allura and the humans.

 

“Who is it?” Hunk asked.

 

“One way to find out,” Coran said, accepting the call.

 

Haggar appeared on the monitor. The Paladins gasped and tensed into fighting positions. He gnashed his teeth together. What did the witch want now?

 

“Haggar,” Allura growled.

 

“Princess,” Haggar returned.

 

“What do you want?” Allura demanded.

 

“Your complete and total surrender,” Haggar stated.

 

“And why would we do that?” Lance asked.

 

Coran had a terrible feeling in his stomach. Demands like this did not often bode well.

 

Haggar grinned and pulled up a holographic map zoomed in one system. “Right now, my command ship is on the edge of Sector X9Y. I believe the locals call it the Milky Way?”

 

“No,” Shiro breathed.

 

Coran glanced back to see that all of the humans had paled. Lance was shaking, even.

 

“Unless I have your surrender in the next two vargas,” Haggar went on. “I will destroy every planet in this system until nothing is left, including your precious Earth.”

 

Oh no. Now Coran understood their reactions. She was going to do to Earth what Zarkon had done to Altea.

 

“How do we know you won’t destroy Earth once we surrender?” Keith asked. He was the only one of the humans to be pulling himself together already, stepping forward until he was next to Shiro and Allura.

 

“Yeah!” Lance joined in. “How do we know you’ll keep your word?” He was still pale, but the shaking had stopped and he looked angry, now.

 

Haggar narrowed her eyes. “I would have no reason to go back on my word if you comply.”

 

“Not good enough,” Shiro said.

 

“Very well, if you refuse to surrender then I will destroy Earth now.”

 

Oh Quiznak this was only getting worse, Coran thought. They needed a way to stall her.

 

“No!” the humans yelled.

 

“We’ll hand over the lions,” Lance said.

 

“We will do no such thing!” Allura hissed immediately.

 

Lance turned to Shiro and Keith, eyes big and pleading. Coran pulled on his mustache. The boy had a plan, but what was he thinking?

 

Shiro stared at Lance for a long tick before nodding slightly, taking a step to the side and letting Lance come forward.

 

“We need proof that you’ll keep your word,” Lance said. He was forcing himself to stand taller than usual, back straighter than a wall.

 

Haggar widened one eye. “Very well.” She raised a glowing hand and created a black band of magic, fitting it around her neck like a collar.

 

Coran’s mouth dropped a little in surprise. He hadn’t seen anyone use an Altean Vow since he was a child.

 

“On pain of death I solemnly swear to keep this oath,” Haggar said. “With Voltron’s surrender I will not destroy any of the planets in your system.”

 

“And you won’t order anyone else to do it either,” Sam said.

 

Haggar narrowed her eyes at him, but complied. “Nor shall I order anyone else to destroy any of the system. The oath is complete.”

 

The band around her neck tightened until it seeped into her skin, fading from view.

 

“You have two vargas,” Haggar said. “My ship will be waiting next to Kerberos.”

 

She ended the transmission, and hell broke out in the control room.

 

“What the hell was that, Lance?”

 

“What are you thinking?”

 

“Are you insane?”

 

“We can’t surrender!”

 

“Guys!” Shiro intervened, physically stepping in front of Lance. “Let’s calm down and let Lance explain.”

 

Lance looked at him gratefully. “I know this is crazy, but we needed a guarantee that Haggar would leave Earth alone. It’s not like they can defend themselves from the Galra.”

 

“So you thought we should just give ourselves up?” Keith asked.

 

Lance shrugged. “She never said anything about giving ourselves up. She just wants Voltron.”

 

It took Coran a tick to figure out what Lance was getting at, and the others weren’t much faster.

 

“You want to just hand over the lions,” Pidge said.

 

“It’s not like they can do anything with them anyway, since we’re the pilots,” Lance said.

 

“Especially with Zarkon dead,” Shiro said.

 

Lance nodded. “And we were thinking of sneaking in to assassinate her anyway, and the lions would be a dead giveaway.”

 

“Actually, having the lions already inside might be helpful,” Keith said. “If we run into trouble, they’ll be right there to bail out whoever goes.”

 

“This still sounds super risky,” Hunk said.

 

“We don’t have a lot of options,” Lance said. “If we try and fight them that close to Earth it might get caught in the crossfire.”

 

“It is risky,” Coran said. “But Lance has made some excellent points.”

 

“Why don’t we talk with Lotor, see what he thinks,” Sam suggested.

 

The idea wasn’t met with many smiles, but Lotor was summoned to the control room and briefed on the situation.

 

He asked for the specific words Haggar used in the vow several times before nodding.

 

“You’re all crazy,” he decided. “But I don’t think Haggar will see it coming. It’d be even better if you had people on the inside who could help you sneak in.”

 

“We might, actually,” Keith said, glancing at Allura and Shiro. “The Blade.”

 

“Yes, they should be able to help,” Allura said. “I’ll let Kolivan and Gupthe know the situation. Gupthe’s rebels may be able to help with damage control in the rest of the universe.”

 

“Who are these people?” Lotor asked.

 

“Right, right,” Lance said, and explained the different rebels. Lotor’s eyes never strayed from Lance’s face, not until Keith subtlety shifted to stand between the two. From the other side of the room.

 

Coran pulled his mustache again and smiled. Those two had come a long way from the bickering yelnaps they used to be.

 

“There are Galra rebels?” Lotor asked. “All this time…”

 

“None of that now,” Allura said. “Coran, if you would open the channel?”

 

“Right away, princess!” He’d been so caught up in the conversation he’d nearly forgotten!

 

Kolivan and Gupthe both thought they were all insane, but at this point there was no going back. They weren’t entirely pleased about Lotor’s presence, either.

 

“I will alert all my men inside the command ship,” Kolivan said. “They should be able to help clear a path for you.”

 

“And I will station a few of my men nearby as reinforcements, just in case,” Gupthe said.

 

“Thank you both,” Allura said.

 

Kolivan glanced at Lotor. “Have you thought more about what we discussed the other day, Princess?”

 

Allura glanced back at Lotor. “I have, and you’re right. As for who should take on that responsibility, we’ll decide later. Right now we need to get going.” She ended the transmission.

 

“What was that about?” Lotor asked.

 

“It’s not important right now. Pidge, I need the coordinates for this Kerberos.”

 

“On it,” Pidge said, jumping to her station. The other paladins did the same, leaving Matt, Sam, and Lotor standing around awkwardly.

 

The wormhole took only a few ticks after a brief warning to the new Altean passengers, and then the ship emerged in the Milky Way.

 

The command ship loomed in front of them. Coran stared up at it. He hated that ship.

 

“So, uh, how exactly are we getting the lions to their ship if we’re not in them?” Hunk asked.

 

“The lions can fly themselves,” Shiro said.

 

“Are they going to agree to this?” Matt asked.

 

“We’re going to find out,” Shiro stated. “Team, convince your lions.”

 

Xx

 

 _You want to do what,_ the Green Lion demanded.

 

Pidge winced. “I know, it’s crazy. But we’re desperate and short on time and this is what we already decided on, so please? We really need this to work.”

 

_I do not like this._

 

“To be honest I don’t either. But we have a plan, and it should work.”

 

Green debated in her mind for another minute. _I still don’t like this. But I will go along with it_.

 

Pidge let out a breath. “Thank you.”

 

Xx

 

 _No_.

 

“Please, Red—”

 

_Absolutely not._

 

“C’mon—”

 

 _I will not surrender_.

 

“We’re only making it look like we’re surrendering,” Keith pleaded. “Don’t you want to see the looks on their faces when they realize I’m not inside?”

 

Red was quiet for a moment.

 

“And think how much havoc you can wreak inside the ship when I come get you!”

 

 _You cannot sway me with petty arguments_.

 

Keith groaned and put his head in his hands. He’d thought he almost had, but her resolve was better than ever now. “Please, Red, we need this to work. We’re already _here_.”

 

 _No_.

 

Keith wracked his brains. Pleading wasn’t working…could he bribe the lion? What would he even bribe her with? “I’ll get Pidge to add her cloaking thing to you.”

 

_…Really?_

 

“And I’ll wash you down!”

 

 _…I’m listening_.

 

Good grief what else could he offer? “I’ll…I don’t know, take you for daily spins for a month!”

 

_Acceptable. I’ll do it._

 

Keith sighed and sank in the chair. “Thank you.”

 

Xx

 

 _You know these plans never go as planned_ , Black said.

 

“There’s really not much of a plan this time,” Shiro said. “And if something goes wrong, you and the others will be right there to bail us out.”

 

_True._

 

“I know it’s risky, but we have to try.”

 

_Very well._

 

Xx

 

 _This sounds dangerous and foolish_ , Yellow stated.

 

“Yeah I totally agree,” Hunk said. “But the others think this is the best idea, so…”

 

 _And we can’t abandon them,_ Yellow said. _Alright, since the others are all set on this, it looks like we have no choice._

 

“Yeah…be careful, okay?”

 

Yellow snorted. _I’m not the one who needs to be careful, little one_.

 

Hunk smiled and tightened his hands on the armrest ever so slightly.

 

Xx

 

 _We’re going to pretend to surrender?_ Blue asked.

 

“Yep,” Lance said.

 

_And then after you kill the witch, we jump out and shoot everything?_

 

“Pretty much.”

 

_And this is to protect Earth?_

 

“Yeah, if we hand you guys over Haggar is sworn to leave Earth alone.”

 

Blue took a moment to consider it. _This is your plan, isn’t it?_

 

“Yeah,” Lance said. He was still a little surprised that everyone was going along with it. He’d come up with it so quickly…most of it was born out of panic and desperation. He had to protect Earth, protect his home and his family. This was the first thing that popped into his head. Give Haggar what she wanted but not in the way she expected, buy them some time to protect their home.

 

 _Then I will do it_ , Blue said.

 

“Thank you,” Lance said. He gave the armrests a few pats before heading out of his lion, joining all the others in the circular hall connecting the hangers. Keith looked surprisingly stressed, his hair a rat’s nest and face haggard. Lance didn’t want to know.

 

The lions flew out just a few ticks later, and doubt gnawed in Lance’s stomach. If this didn’t work…If they overlooked something, Earth was going to pay for it. His whole family would suffer this mistake.

 

“Let’s get to the control room,” Shiro said.

 

They joined a tightlipped Allura and frantic Coran, Pidge dashing into her father’s arms almost immediately. Matt put a hand on her shoulder.

 

Lotor gave Lance an encouraging smile, and Lance found he just didn’t have the energy to work up the usual disgust. There was too much else going on.

 

“They’ve activated their tractor beam,” Allura announced.

 

Lanced turned his gaze to the screen. His chest physically _ached_ at seeing Blue getting pulled into that ship.

 

Why had Shiro trusted him? This was a terrible idea they shouldn’t have gone along with it! What were they supposed to do if Voltron was needed now? They’d left the universe defenseless so they could protect one planet.

 

Hunk put a hand on his shoulder, and Shiro put a hand on his other shoulder. “It’s going to work,” Shiro said.

 

God he hoped Shiro was right.

 

When the lions were loaded, the Command Ship warped away. Whether they knew the pilots weren’t in the lions or not was debatable. They might assume the pilots were keeping quiet and refusing to come out of the lions. That might buy them some time. Long enough to find the command ship again and end this, for good.

 

“The Blade should be able to send us the new coordinates in half a varga,” Coran said.

 

“I’ll rig up the pods with the cloak in the meantime,” Pidge said. “Dad, Matt, can you help?”

 

“Don’t even have to ask, Katie-pie,” Sam said. The trio ran off, and soon everyone else was running off to handle one thing or another.

 

Lance looked out at the screen. The ship’s long range sensors were able to display the system pretty well. Kerberos floated innocently on the right.

 

Almost dead ahead, Earth sat next to its tiny little moon.

 

Lance’s chest ached again. It was so close, but they couldn’t visit. No one else even seemed to want to.

 

A hand descended on his shoulder and he jumped.

 

“Just me,” Coran said. “I wanted to check up on you.”

 

“Me? I’m fine. Only had my entire planet threatened and then gave up Blue, no big deal.”

 

Coran squeezed his shoulder. “But you’ve saved your planet and you’re going to get Blue back.”

 

Heh, that did have a nice ring to it. “If it works,” Lance mumbled. Besides, knowing their luck there was going to be some heavy price to pay for this plan to work, like the way Shiro disappeared with their last plan and the way they’d all been separated in a corrupted wormhole. What would it be this time? What if this time they didn’t all make it out alive? How much luck did they have left?

 

“We’ll make it work,” Coran said. “You’ll see.”

 

He wished he could have as much confidence in his own plan as everyone else apparently did.

 

Coran steered him away from the room to go work on something and get his mind off things. Lance spared one last glance at Earth.

 

God he really hoped this worked.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but it is what it is.   
> Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing! They make my day!


	15. Nothing Will Ever Go According to Plan. Ever.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The downside to lions having a mind of their own is...the lions have a mind of their own.

They hadn’t heard from Haggar yet. Allura didn’t know if that meant Haggar didn’t care the paladins hadn’t been on the lions or she wasn’t aware of that fact yet. It had been two thirds of a varga, though; she’d expected the witch to call them back by now, screaming their betrayal.

 

This nothing was worse.

 

They were already suited up and waiting on the coordinates. Hopefully it would be soon; the paladins were restless. Keith leaned forward in his seat, bouncing his leg and staring at nothing. Hunk was dismantling his seat to see how it worked. Lance had been talking Matt’s ear off the whole time. Pidge, now that she was done adding cloak technology to the pods, was attempting to find the command ship on her own. And Shiro kept tapping his fingers on the edge of his chair, getting up to pace the perimeter, asking a million questions.

 

They were all driving Allura insane. It was only because the lions were so far away, she knew, but that didn’t help.

 

“Let’s go over the plan again,” Shiro said.

 

The cries of outrage from the paladins disagreed.

 

A headache pulsed behind Allura’s eyes.

 

Lotor stepped up to Shiro and put a hand on his shoulder. “We know the plan. You need to calm down and relax.”

 

Shiro glared. Lotor pulled his hand away and stepped back.

 

“Besides,” Coran said, typing away at his control station. “Kolivan just sent us the new coordinates.”

 

Allura took a deep breath. Show time. “Everyone, get ready.” Why was she suddenly so nervous?

 

They sent out the warning for the rest of the crew, and she grasped the two pillars as they came up under her hands. This was routine. It would be fine.

 

Creating wormholes had become a lot easier since the massive one she created to cover Zarkon’s command ship. She was able to ration the energy better. The one she created now hardly affected her at all.

 

The other side of the wormhole let them out on the dark side of a moon. Here, they’d have some cover and hopefully the castle would remain undetected. It would be where Coran and the others stayed safe.

 

“Alright, let’s head out,” Shiro said. The Paladins and Lotor were on their feet in a tick and running out the door. Allura made to follow them, but she paused in the doorway and looked back at Coran.

 

He had a sad smile on his face and nodded at her.

 

She turned to leave, but bit her lip and hesitated. “Coran.” Something about today felt final. One way or another, the war would end.

 

“What is it, Princess?” he asked, meeting her halfway when she walked back towards him. She wrapped her arms around him. “Allura?”

 

“I’ve always thought of you like a second father,” she said, quietly enough that neither Sam nor Matt could hear her.

 

“Allura…”

 

“If I don’t come back,” Allura went on, squeezing him a little tighter. “I want you to lead the Alteans.”

 

“Don’t talk like that, you’ll come back,” Coran said. His own hug tightened around her.

 

“But if I don’t, they’re going to need someone to lead them. Promise me, Coran.”

 

“Only if you promise to do everything in your power to come back,” he said. “I couldn’t bear it if…if you didn’t. You’re the daughter I never had.”

 

Her eyes filled with tears and her chest ached. She didn’t have time to cry now, she had to go. But she’d indulge in Coran’s grasp for another tick, just one more.

 

Because everything was ending today, and she might not get another chance.

 

“I promise,” she said. She didn’t even know what she was saying, body moving on autopilot.

 

He held on tighter for another tick and then let go. She wiped her face and took a shaky breath. “Good luck.”

 

She smiled and nodded.

 

“Allura? Where are you, we need to go!” Shiro said over the intercom.

 

“I’m coming,” she said, giving Coran one more smile before running to join the others. He gave her a grin and thumbs up.

 

By the time she reached the pod, she’d managed to compose herself again. The others were waiting beside two pods, piled into the cockpits. There were only two seats, but they didn’t seem to care.

 

“Let’s go!” Lance moaned.

 

She hopped into the spot next to him and the hatch materialized around them. Shiro piloted their pod, Hunk in the co-pilot seat. Keith piloted the other one with Pidge and Lotor.

 

“Sorry, I had something I needed to take care of,” Allura said.

 

“As long as you’re head’s in the game now,” Shiro said.

 

She nodded. She was quite focused on the task at hand. Her magic was the only thing that stood a chance against Haggar; it would come down to her in the end.

 

Shiro and Keith maneuvered the pods slowly through space. The command ship wasn’t far away. It looked even more intimidating than usual from a tiny pod.

 

“That open hanger in the front,” Lotor said. “That’s our way in.”

 

“Are you sure?” Hunk asked. “Why do you think that?”

 

“It has the least security and will be the easiest when we’re trying to remain invisible,” Lotor responded.

 

“It makes sense,” Allura admitted.

 

“Alright. Keith?” Shiro asked.

 

“Copy that,” Keith said.

 

Things were going surprisingly smoothly; it was putting Allura on edge. What weren’t they seeing? What trick did Haggar have up her sleeve?

 

As it turned out, it wasn’t Haggar. The lions burst out of the ship, not even bothering with hanger doors, just punched holes right in the side of the ship, and surrounded the pods.

 

“Uh…This wasn’t part of the plan!” Pidge yelled.

 

Black appeared in front of their pod, large yellow eyes staring them down.

 

“I don’t understand, why did they come out?” Lotor asked.

 

“Red says we’d be better as a distraction while a few people move inside to attack Haggar,” Keith said.

 

Quiznak that wasn’t the plan! Stupid lions and their own brainwaves.

 

“Blue says the negative quintessence was starting to get to them, too,” Lance added.

 

“So what do we do?” Hunk asked. “They’re going to send fighters out here any minute!”

 

Shiro’s grip tightened on the controls. “We go along with the lions. They think Voltron needs to be a distraction, then we’re a distraction. Allura, Lotor, jump in Red with Keith. We’ll get you in that command ship.”

 

“What about the pods?” Pidge asked.

 

“They have a preset return code synched up with the castle,” Allura said, leaning over to press the one in their pod. “It’s on the far right.”

 

“Got it!” Pidge said.

 

“Then on three,” Shiro said. “One, two, three!”

 

She pressed the button and Shiro deactivated the hatch, letting the vacuum of space suck them out. She spun uncontrollably for a few ticks until Keith grabbed her hand and guided her into the red lion’s mouth, and then she waited in the jaws to grab Lotor while Keith went up into the cockpit.

 

Lotor angled his spin to reach the lion, and she grabbed his foot as he passed and yanked him in. Red’s jaw shut, and she went up into the cockpit.

 

Just in time, too. Keith had to swerve violently to avoid a stream of laser fire from the fighter drones.

 

“Is everyone in their lions?” Shiro asked.

 

“Yes sir!” Keith said.

 

The others responded the same.

 

“Then form Voltron!”

 

Not being belted into the cockpit made it a very dizzying process; Allura’s head was still reeling when everything finished, and Lotor looked like he was going to be sick.

 

“Hunk, shoulder cannon! Let’s take out these fighters!” Shiro ordered.

 

The lights in the cockpit dimmed for a moment while the energy surged to form the cannon. They surged again when the cannon fired.

 

“Path’s clear!” Pidge said. “Let’s get Allura and Lotor on board!”

 

“Lotor, where’s the throne room where Haggar would be?” Shiro asked.

 

“Dead center,” Lotor said. “It’s the most well-protected room on the ship.”

 

“We’ll try and get you as close as we can,” Shiro said.

 

“The Blade said they’d be willing to help inside,” Keith said. “Keep an eye out for them.”

 

“Everyone get ready!” Shiro said.

 

Keith swung them back in Red, letting the rest of Voltron swing forward, and then he used their momentum to add force to his thrust, punching another hole in the ship.

 

“Alright, go!” Keith said.

 

Allura and Lotor nodded, sprinting together out of the lion and diving into an undamaged hallway before the Red lion pulled away and they were sucked back into space.

 

Her heart pounded. “Do you know where we are?”

 

Lotor looked around for a few ticks. “Yes, this way.” He ran off, and she followed.

 

They made it a few hallways before running into a squadron, but before they could attack a soldier jumped out of a doorway and started hacking away with a long sword. On the handle flashed the Blade of Marmora sign.

 

Lotor tilted his head in confusion, and Allura quickly explained.

 

The Blade member turned to them when he was done. “This way, hurry.”

 

They didn’t question it. They followed him. He was able to get them through locked doors and singlehandedly took out whatever guards they ran into. Honestly Allura was feeling pretty useless by the time they reached the throne room.

 

Another Blade member was already standing outside the door. He greeted his fellow rebel and then they stood on either side of the door. “We’ll keep reinforcements from getting in. This is your fight, Princess Allura, Prince Lotor. Do not fail.”

 

“We won’t,” Allura promised.

 

Haggar was waiting for them. She didn’t blast them when the doors opened, didn’t call for backup. She let them walk in, let the door shut behind them.

 

“It took you longer than I thought it would,” Haggar stated. “When I realized the lions were empty, I thought for sure you paladins would jump out of hiding and attack right then and there. I’m disappointed.”

 

Allura clenched her fists. Patronizing banter? She hadn’t expected this of Haggar. It seemed more Zarkon’s style.

 

“I must thank you for arranging this…invasion,” Haggar said. “When I broadcast your deaths, it should quell the little rebellion you’ve started in my empire.”

 

“And when we kill you, that same tactic will let all the Galra know who’s really in charge,” Lotor said.

 

Haggar didn’t even pay attention to him.

 

“Now, you little Atlean brat. Are you ready to see your father?”

 

Allura’s vision went red. She screamed and attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one's a bit shorter, but I'm planning to update every day this week to try and wrap this story up before season 3 hits. Wish me luck.


	16. Get W R E C K E D

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight to end all fights. It's going down!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's mild gore in this, so, read on with care.

 

Being a leg of Voltron was awesome, okay? Lance loved his spot on the team. He provided stability, he kept Voltron balanced. It was an important job. His only complaint was that the legs of Voltron didn’t get to hit as much stuff. Voltron punched ships. The arms retained their laser functions, so the arms shot lasers. The legs didn’t. They only rarely kicked things, and usually only when Lance made them because sometimes he just really needed to hit something.

 

Like now. He really, really wanted to personally shoot every fighter ship coming out to face them. The Galra crossed a line. They threatened his home. _They were going to pay_.

 

And as long as he was focused on the fighter ships, he wasn’t worried about Allura.

 

So yeah, Lance was more than happy to keep Voltron balanced while they flipped through space and shot at everything, but he wanted a turn to be the one shooting. He wanted to blow some shit up.

 

“We’ve got incoming at seven o’clock!” Hunk said.

 

They whirled in Voltron and slashed through a few ships with Keith’s sword.

 

Lance itched to be the one doing that. His fingers were twitching.

 

“Reinforcements just entered the system!” Pidge warned.

 

“Not a problem,” Shiro said.

 

 _Kill them all, make them pay, give them hell_ , Lance thought.

 

“Uh…Lance? You okay?” Hunk asked.

 

“Never better,” Lance bit out.

 

They flew up and over a swarm, slashing a wide arc. Mini explosions lit up the cosmos. They looked nothing like fireworks, but that was the image it reminded him of.

 

His blood boiled all over again at how close he’d been to losing his family and home. He hadn’t been this furious…ever. He wanted to punch something.

 

Blue growled, and a little box rose out of his dashboard. Lance grinned. “Hey guys? Blue wants me to use my bayard!”

 

“Oh heck yes!” Pidge said. “I’ve been dying to see what yours is!”

 

“Go for it, Lance!” Keith said. The sword disappeared, and Lance locked his bayard in place.

 

The lights dimmed and a screen appeared in front of him, locking onto targets and outlining a path with a wicked curve.

 

Lance tilted his head and shrugged. “Fire!”

 

A boomerang shot out of the green lion and twirled around space, attacking fighters from the side while they were too busy looking forward at Voltron. One attack took out fifteen fighters, and then Pidge was catching the return.

 

“Whoo! That was incredible!” Hunk cheered.

 

“You’ve got a boomerang!” Pidge said.

 

“Nice work, Lance,” Shiro said.

 

Lance beamed, some of the anger from earlier dissipating in the excitement.

 

“Excellent!” Keith added.

 

“Since the boomerang is with me, we can probably keep Keith’s sword and use both at the same time!” Pidge said.

 

“Yeah, and then when they’re looking at us, the boomerang will come out of nowhere and slice ‘em!” Hunk said.

 

“Or they’ll focus on the boomerang and we’ll cut them with the sword!” Pidge said.

 

Shiro chuckled. “Sounds like a plan. Keith?”

 

“On it!”

 

The sword materialized ticks later, and they went to town. Lance had the option of creating his own flight path with the boomerang if he wanted. Just for fun, he made a few patterns with the trajectory, like a giant star and a fish.

 

They made amazing pictures when they blew up.

 

“Are you doing that on purpose?” Keith asked.

 

“Let me have this,” Lance stated.

 

“I think it’s cool!” Pidge said.

 

“Thank you, Pidge,” Lance said.

 

“Can we focus, guys?” Shiro asked.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Pidge caught the boomerang and Lance sent it out again. Part of him thought it was weird his bayard activated a weapon on another lion, but as he glanced at trajectory paths and adjusted them, he found it made more sense. His main job as a leg was for balance, he didn’t have to punch and shoot things. He had a few more precious ticks to divert his attention to something else, send the info to Pidge, and all she had to do was catch and shoot, which the lions were hardwired to do anyway.

 

And yeah, maybe he was having a little too much fun with this. But in his defense, they were stalling for time anyway while Allura and Lotor killed Haggar, so it wasn’t like he was inconveniencing the plan or anything.

 

His next creation was the little dipper. He grinned at himself. Some would argue he was the worst Paladin for this weapon. He will forever argue he was the best; no one else would utilize it to its full potential.

 

Okay, he was having too much fun.

 

Xx

 

Everything was pinkish-red. Her aura was visible again, and the throne room was in shambles. There was hardly any solid floor left to stand on. Lotor had his feet spread between two beams.

 

Haggar floated in the air, her own black aura crackling around her.

 

She was too fast for Allura to hit, and Allura was able to harden her aura into a shield and defend against whatever attacks Haggar threw at her. She was also able to create solid platforms to stretch over the destroyed floor and give her something to stand on.

 

If Haggar would just hold still for _one dobash_ , Allura could blast her to pieces. But Haggar wasn’t about to give her that chance.

 

Haggar swooped down and shot another stream of lightning. Allura created a shield, but the force sent her back. She tumbled over the uneven floor, wrenching her shoulder in the process.

 

“What’s the matter, Haggar, too afraid to face me?” Lotor goaded. He’d done that a few times. What he thought he was going to do with a sword against this witch, Allura couldn’t begin to guess. His blaster had already been destroyed by Haggar’s magic.

 

“You’re not worth the effort,” Haggar stated, wiping her hand in his general direction. A wave of black energy, sharp and deadly, surged toward him. He dove down into the uneven floor and let it pass above him.

 

Allura threw another tidal wave of magic. Haggar vanished. Allura swore.

 

“You’re wasting your energy!” Lotor said.

 

“It’s pathetic,” Haggar added, reappearing higher in the air. “Is this the best Alfor’s little daughter can do?”

 

Rage simmered in her bones. “You leave my father out of this,” Allura stated. More red seeped into her aura.

 

Haggar laughed. “Does it bother you?”

 

Allura floated up into the air, keeping a solid panel beneath her. “Lowlifes like you shouldn’t speak of a great man like King Alfor.”

 

Haggar cackled again. “A great man? What did he do, really? Created a superweapon that led to his own people’s destruction.”

 

“Zarkon did that, not my father!” Allura said. She hurled a small ball of energy at Haggar.

 

Haggar swatted the magic away like it was a puny fly. “Zarkon wouldn’t have been able to without your father.” She swatted away a few more of Allura’s feeble attacks. “I don’t know why you seem to think Alfor was so righteous. Uniting the universe was his idea.”

 

The fire surging through Allura turned to ice. “What?” Her father would never have wanted to enslave the universe like this; he’d never condone what Zarkon had done. That was why they’d started a war in the first place!

 

Lotor’s sword flew up from the ground and sliced Haggar’s cloak. “Brat!”

 

Lotor caught the sword and smirked. “Did you forget about little old me?”

 

“I suppose I’ll take care of you first!” Haggar said. She descended in a cloud of crackling magic, tendrils snaking out to surround Lotor.

 

He batted a few of them away, but there were too many. He was blasted back into the throne, the whole thing toppling over from the force. He didn’t get up.

 

Allura’s head was still reeling. The red in her aura was gone, and even the pink was fading from view. She sunk to the floor. Her father had wanted this empire? That made no sense.

 

Then again, if Alfor had been the emperor, and not Zarkon, perhaps it would have been a kinder empire. It could have been the peaceful entity it should have been. That…that sounded a lot like her father, actually.

 

She could believe the empire had been Alfor’s idea. Zarkon had only taken it and twisted it into something dark and cruel, forced planets into against their will where Alfor would have given people a choice.

 

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to face Haggar again, and not a moment too soon. She dove over a metal panel and took shelter behind it while lightening cracked around her. Pink energy formed between her hands, and she stretched them until she had a staff in her hands. As soon as Haggar’s attack was over, Allura jumped out and swung the staff.

 

Haggar vanished and reappeared behind her. “Oh? What happened to all that unbridled rage?”

 

Allura grinned. “You’re probably right, uniting the universe may have been my father’s idea first.” She lunged and thrust the staff forward. “But I’m positive this isn’t what he meant. Thinking about it helped me calm down, so thank you.”

 

Haggar snarled. She wrapped a hand around Allura’s staff and yanked, dragging Allura forward. Allura turned it into another chance to attack, letting go with one hand, twirling on her heel, and slamming her heel into Haggar’s arm.

 

Haggar stumbled a few steps. Allura pulled her staff back and attacked again. Haggar vanished, reappearing behind Allura. Allura swung the staff behind her, but Haggar disappeared.

 

When she reappeared, there were dozens of her pressing in around Allura. She slashed through several of them, but a blast of lightning hit her back and she flew forward, tripping over the ruined floor and landing hard. The staff dissipated into nothing.

 

A Haggar reached out and wrapped a hand around her throat, lifting her up into the air. Fear took the place of air in her lungs. Panic covered her mind. Kicking out did nothing; one attempt had other Haggars rushing in and holding her legs down.

 

Not good, this wasn’t good, not at all. She needed to escape, needed to get free…

 

A sword hurled through the air, slicing through Haggar’s arm. She howled and dropped Allura, clutching the limb to her chest. The other Haggar’s disappeared.

 

Allura gasped for air and glanced at Lotor. He looked a little worse for wear with blood dribbling down his face and his hair all over the place, but he was grinning.

 

“You’re starting to become quite the damsel in distress, princess,” Lotor stated.

 

“And you’re going to wish you had stayed down!” Haggar roared. She flew across the floor, hands crooked like claws.

 

Lotor caught her hands and flipped Haggar over his shoulder, slamming her down on the floor.

 

Allura turned back to his sword, encased it with magic, and tossed it back to Lotor. “Lotor!”

 

He glanced back and caught the sword, twisting the hilt into a reverse grip and stabbing down. Haggar vanished, because that was what she always did.

 

Allura was fed up with that tactic. “Stop running away, you coward!”

 

“Who’s running?” Haggar asked, her voice coming from everywhere around them. Allura and Lotor took a few uneasy steps closer to each other. Lotor held his sword at the ready. Magic hummed in the tips of Allura’s fingers.

 

It didn’t matter how ready they’d been. Lighting rained down all around them. Allura’s first instinct was to jump back, and she fell into a hole in the floor and trapped herself. She put a shield over herself and hunkered down.

 

Lotor was still out there, though. How could she justify hiding when he was out there taking the brunt of the attack with no defense?

 

She took a deep breath and pushed her shield out. Lotor jumped into view next to her, shaking his hand. Smoke curled from his arm.

 

The attacks finally stopped, but Allura didn’t lower the shield, not until she saw Haggar standing on the floor.

 

With a nod to Lotor, she dropped the shield. He charged forward. Haggar entertained him for a few moments, teleporting all around him. Her taunting was nearly her undoing. Lotor feinted, she teleported behind him, and he kept his swing going to slash across her chest.

 

Blood sprayed across his face and Haggar stumbled back. Everything froze for a moment.

 

Allura blinked. Did Lotor cut deep enough? Was the wound critical enough to stop Haggar?

 

Haggar lifted a hand from her chest and looked at the red blood covering her shaking hand.

 

It took Allura until after the fight to realize Haggar hadn’t been trembling with pain or fear. She’d been trembling with rage.

 

Haggar shrieked and flew forward, forgetting her magic and throwing an upper-cut under Lotor’s jaw. He slashed at her again, but she caught his arm and ripped the sword out of his hand.

 

Allura ran forward to help, but it wasn’t fast enough.

 

Haggar raised the sword over her head and slashed down. Lotor had nowhere to run. He raised his arm above his head. The sword passed right through, just under his elbow.

 

His hand hit the ground with a heavy thud, but if was muffled by his screaming. He doubled over, clutching the bloody stump.

 

Haggar raised the sword again and was about to bring it down when Allura tackled her. They slammed into the ground and rolled over jagged flooring. Haggar lost her grip on the sword. Allura got her hands around Haggar’s neck and squeezed.

 

Haggar clawed at her face. Allura squeezed harder. This witch was going to die, right now, under Allura’s bare hands. It would all be over in a dobash.

 

Haggar’s eyes widened, and blue dots appeared in the yellow sockets. A trick of the light or a sign of her true Altean nature, Allura wasn’t sure. But it distracted her long enough that she didn’t notice the hand crackling with electricity until it slammed into her face.

 

 _Pain_. White-hot agonizing _pain_. She landed hard on her back and clutched at her face. It felt like her face was on fire, oh Quiznak it burned. What was that shrill sound? Was that her? Was she screaming? She might have been screaming.

 

“Allura!” Lotor yelled. He appeared at her side, a hand grabbing onto her shoulder.

 

“And now,” Haggar panted, “you die.”

 

Allura cracked her right eye open and looked up at Haggar. The witch was on her feet, one arm wrapped around her body, the other outstretched to Allura and Lotor.

 

The tables had turned so quickly. Not even a dobash ago, Allura had sworn she was about to win. Haggar’s life had dangled by a thread. Now hers was the life that dangled.

 

She didn’t want to die.

 

Lotor’s sword lay within reach. Her face hurt; she couldn’t open her left eye. Her right was trained on that sword.

 

Haggar gathered energy in her hand.

 

Lotor bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Allura.”

 

 _Oh Quiznak no they were not giving up_.

 

She projected her magic and wrapped it around the sword, throwing it point first through the air again, only this time its target was Haggar.

 

Haggar raised the hand with magic in front of her to block it, but Allura’s magic pierced Haggar’s and created an opening. The sword went through the magic, and Haggar’s hand, and then through Haggar’s throat.

 

The black magic died away at once. Haggar gurgled. Blood coated her lips and dripped down her chin. The yellow in her eyes faded completely, revealing shimmering dark purple irises.

 

Haggar dropped to her knees, and then collapsed to her side. She didn’t move again.

 

Allura and Lotor didn’t move for a while, either.

 

“Is it…is it over?” Lotor asked.

 

Allura sat up. She kept one hand over the left half of her face. It still burned. She needed a healing pod, soon. So did Lotor. “I think so.”

 

He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to check, falling heavily onto his knees beside the body. He searched for a pulse. “She’s dead.”

 

Allura let herself relax, and all the other pains in her body let themselves be known. Her clothing was covered in tears and blood, most of which wasn’t even hers. “It’s finally over. The empire is ours.”

 

“Yes…” Lotor said. “I can finally claim the throne.”

 

“What?” Allura asked. Don’t say she had to fight him now, she didn’t have the strength for that.

 

“I won’t be like my father,” he promised. He tore off a sizable chunk of Haggar’s cloak and wrapped it around the stump of his arm. “But the Galra need another Galra to lead them into an era of peace. If anyone else does it, they’ll only treat them like a usurper.”

 

It made sense, Allura supposed. Mostly, she didn’t have the energy to debate politics. She had the energy for a nap. Possibly a minor coma.

 

Lotor scrounged around the remains of the throne, putting it upright again. “Good, it still works.” He pushed a few buttons and a recording screen appeared in front of him. He cleared his throat. “Attention every one of the Galra Empire. I am Prince Lotor, as many of you know. You also know that I’ve been a fugitive for the last several weeks, charged with treason against my own empire. Empress Haggar ran me off and claimed my throne for her own when Emperor Zarkon died. She was not the rightful heir, which is why I have killed her and now claim the throne as mine, as it rightfully should be.”

 

The Blades entered the room during his speech, and they came up beside Allura and helped her to her feet.

 

“I’m telling you all right now that I have no intention of carrying the empire on the same way Zarkon and Haggar did. I intend to dismantle it, actually, and give freedom back to the people they’ve taken it away from, with the help of Princess Allura and Voltron.” He nodded at her and turned the screen around to face her.

 

Quiznak she didn’t have a speech ready. Oh well, that had never stopped her before.

 

“The goal of the empire when it was started was to unite people and prevent war from breaking out,” Allura said. She kept her hand over her face while she talked. Hopefully she didn’t look too gruesome. “Zarkon took it too far and demanded too much control. We can still be united, but we can do so by choice this time. We can set up our own trade agreements, and live without fear of being captured and shipped off to working colonies. We don’t need an emperor to live peacefully. It is my wish that we all choose to do so ourselves.”

 

She turned the screen back to Lotor, and he said a few more closing remarks before ending the broadcast. She smiled at him.

 

“We should get you two into a healing chamber,” one of the Blades said.

 

“Mmm that sounds nice,” Allura said.

 

Somehow they made it back to the castle ship. She was fairly certain there was a Galra pod involved somewhere, possibly a piggy-back ride. She wasn’t sure. She was fading in and out of consciousness at that point, delirious with pain and happiness.

 

It had been hard. They’d almost died more times than she could count. There were a lot of days she hadn’t thought they’d manage it. But they had.

 

They defeated Zarkon.

 

They killed Haggar.

 

The Galra Empire was theirs.

 

They’d saved the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ding dong the witch is dead! Which old witch? The wicked witch! Ding dong the wicked witch is dead!
> 
> So, was it everything you hoped for? Haggar is dead, the empire is defeated, Voltron has won! Yay!


	17. And Now the Hard Part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten-thousand year old empires don't dissolve overnight. The Universe is a mess, and of course it's up to Voltron to fix it. All of it. Very quickly. 
> 
> Someone let these people nap, please.

It turned out defeating Zarkon and Haggar had been the easy part. Now Voltron was left with the mess that was the rest of the galaxy. After ten thousand years, people were a little…excited at the prospect of their new freedom. And Galra commanders still patrolling their sectors were all on edge at the change in leadership. It had led to more than one major dispute.

 

Voltron had been busier those first few weeks than in the four months it had taken to defeat the empire.

 

Keith thought they were lucky none of them had been too terribly hurt or randomly gone missing like last time. It would have been difficult to handle everything if any one of them had been down for any length of time.

 

Granted, Allura and Lotor both spent a solid quintent in the healing pod. The Holts designed a new arm for Lotor, with help from some of the Blade of Marmora that had been in Central Command. It was a little clunky, and Lotor had been useless with it for a while. Shiro offered a few pointers he’d learned, and after a few days everything seemed normal. Lotor went back to Central Command and officially took over the Empire.

 

Allura was the one having a harder time adjusting. The damage to her left eye was permanent. The iris had dulled to a stormy gray, and pale scars branched out from the socket, cutting across her Altean mark and spreading out over her ear.

 

“How come the pods didn’t heal her?” Pidge had asked when Allura first came out.

 

“The damage was too severe,” Coran said, pulling on his mustache. Hunk wrapped the Princess in a large blanket. “Not to mention it was black magic that did it. We’re lucky Haggar didn’t blow off half her head.”

 

Hunk wrapped his arms around the Princess then. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

 

She leaned into him. Her left hand reached out from under the blanket to finger at the scars, and the mice crawled into her lap. “It could have been worse,” Allura said, her voice flat and monotone.

 

Keith looked away. He understood what she was feeling a little too well. Knowing something could have been worse didn’t make the current situation any easier to deal with. “We’ll help as much as we can,” Keith offered.

 

Allura offered a weak smile back at him.

 

“Yeah!” Lance chimed in. “Whatever you need, just say the word!”

 

“We could try some new hairstyles,” Matt suggested. “Look at all that space we now have to play with!”

 

She let out a surprised laugh. “Thank you.”

 

They never had time for anything like that. Voltron was summoned to a planet having an altercation with the Galra; they were refusing to pay taxes, on the grounds that if the empire was dissolving, they didn’t need the gac. The Galra insisted on their payment, threatening to attack if taxes weren’t paid.

 

Since Lotor was still on board the ship, he helped Allura smooth it over. “It’s true the Empire will be dissolved,” he stated to the King of the planet. “But it will not happen overnight, and I need to pay all these fine soldiers while they’re still in my service. How about you pay two thirds of the total taxes owed?”

 

They weren’t happy about it, but they complied at the behest of Voltron.

 

And that set the tone for the next two weeks. Voltron jumped from planet to planet mediating disputes like that. When Lotor went back to Central Command, he stayed in constant contact with Allura to settle disagreements.

 

When they weren’t peace mediators, they were traveling to different prisons and reviewing all the prisoners inside. Some did deserve to be locked up, but the majority of prisoners had already served more than enough time for whatever crime they were accused of, and plenty were in there simply because they looked at a Galran wrong.

 

It was tedious. Keith was exhausted. And they were personally escorting some of the prisoners back to their home planets because they were running out of pods, which meant there were even _more_ people on the ship than before. And a lot of them, if their homes were destroyed or they didn’t have family, wanted to stay on board.

 

He spent a lot of downtime in the lounge. It hadn’t officially been marked as the Paladin’s lounge, but most of the crew seemed to respect that it was Paladins only. More often not, at least one of the others joined him. Pidge rigged up her laptop and uploaded the few earth movies she had saved on it, so movie nights became a thing. They rarely had time to watch a full movie, and they rarely stayed awake through what they did watch, so they were broken into two or three nights.

 

It was one of the nights when he was sprawled out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, that Allura ventured in. She jumped at seeing him, and he forced himself to look away from her scarred eye.

 

“Oh, Keith, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were in here, I’ll go-”

 

“You can stay,” he said, relaxing back into the couch. “I don’t mind.”

 

She sagged and walked over to the couch, sinking down onto it. “I know we’ve been leaving this room for you Paladins, but it’s the only place to go to get away from everyone else for a while.”

 

“You’re a Paladin, too,” Keith reminded her. “Just because you don’t fly Blue all the time doesn’t mean you’re not a Paladin. Besides, you kicked Haggar’s ass, you’re allowed in whenever you want.”

 

She laughed. “Thank you.”

 

They relaxed quietly for a while. Keith was starting to doze off when Allura spoke again.

 

“Could we play this video game?”

 

He opened an eye and turned his head to look at the system, and then looked at Allura. “Sure. We still need to beat Lance, anyway.”

 

She grinned. Keith set up the system and tossed her a controller. They were still terrible at the game, but against each other they were worthy opponents.

 

Xx

 

She didn’t look in mirrors much anymore.

 

She wasn’t ashamed of her new look, per se, but it was easier if she let herself forget about it for a while. Not that she really could. Having half your normal range of vision was hard to forget. Seeing everyone you speak to staring at a point on your face that you can’t see is hard to ignore.

 

Looks weren’t everything. And she’d never considered herself vain before, but she had always prided herself in her appearance. She was a princess, she had to. Suddenly having to cope with mismatched eyes and ugly scarring on half her face…it wasn’t easy.

 

So she didn’t look in mirrors much. Her hair went up in a bun because it was easy and she wouldn’t have to worry about it falling out of place.

 

Besides, it wasn’t like she had time to worry about her appearance. Between all the peace treaties and trying to set up a new intergalactic justice system she barely had time to eat, let alone worry about her appearance. Honestly, people were lucky she didn’t look worse.

 

“Oh, hey Allura!” Lance said, smiling and waving as they passed in the hall. He had damp hair and a towel around his neck; he’d probably been at the pool again.

 

“Hello, Lance.” Wait, why was she near the pool? Where had she been going?

 

“Everything okay?” Lance asked.

 

“Yes, everything’s fine,” Allura said. Peace treaties, justice system…how did that equal pool? Why was she down here?

 

Had she…had she gotten lost?

 

“Are you sure? You’ve got this weird look on your face.”

 

It can’t really be called lost when she knew exactly where she was, could it? More like she hadn’t been paying attention. For a really long time.

 

“Allura?”

 

“Yes?” She jumped. She’d totally jumped Quiznak that was embarrassing.

 

Lance tilted his head at her. “I think you need a break.”

 

She smiled. “I can’t. There’s too much to do. The Kytolas are in complete disarray and the Thangard system desperately needs guards and some kind of judicial system and-”

 

Lance put his hands on her shoulders. “And the princess of the Alteans needs a nap.”

 

She blinked at him. “Haven’t you been listening? I don’t have time for a nap.”

 

He turned her around and pushed her forward, stepping beside her and slinging an arm around her shoulders. “Trust me, the universe isn’t going anywhere. It can wait two vargas while you sleep.”

 

“But I have a meeting with High Priest Kylav.” It clicked in her mind like a barrier crystal fitting into alignment. “Quiznak that’s where I’m supposed to be!”

 

She sprinted away from Lance and all the way up to the control room. Shiro and Coran were already talking with the High Priest. It was a less than graceful entry, but she smoothed it over and they got to work.

 

Maybe Lance was right. Maybe she should take a nap after this, or maybe hunt Keith down and practice that dungeon game some more.

 

Xx

 

Hunk lifted the spoon of food goo and tilted it so the goo fell back to the plate. He missed cooking. He missed having the time and energy to cook. Half the time they were given dinner on planet as thanks for working out new treaties, which was great, he loved trying new food, but he loved making it, too. Except now that the new Alteans were all initiated, they’d taken over cooking for the castle, so even when they had meals on the castle he wasn’t the one making it.

 

(Their sense of taste was better than Coran and Allura’s, making their food edible. Hunk praised God every day for evolution)

 

This meant that the only time he could use the kitchen was to make snacks, which he never had time or energy for, which led to him sitting here now, hungry, exhausted, staring at an unappetizing plate of goo.

 

He needed to teach the new chefs how to bake cookies. He’d pencil that in after teaching Allura what ‘Free Time’ was.

 

He didn’t even know what time it was anymore. Morning? Night? Middle of the day? Who knew? They’d jumped around the universe so much, visiting every planet during their day time, he honestly had no idea. Some of their missions were called when he was sleeping, some while he was trying to relax with Yellow. He’d completely lost track of what time it was.

 

Lance stumbled in and made a beeline for the goo machine, filling up a plate and sitting opposite Hunk. He stared at the goo.

 

“This is just as questionable now as it was the first day we ate it,” Lance stated. He poked the goo with his spork.

 

“No, it’s worse now,” Hunk said. “We know what it tastes like now.”

 

Lance inhaled and scooped up some goo. “Well, bottom’s up.”

 

“I’m pretty sure that phrase is meant for drinking.”

 

Lance glared at him with the spork still in his mouth.

 

“But who knows, maybe it works for both,” Hunk added.

 

“It does if I want it to,” Lance said.

 

Hunk laughed and finally took a bite of his goo. More solid than jello, but definitely not solid enough to be considered solid, it was still weird and slimy going down his throat.

 

“I can’t believe we still haven’t found a nacho planet,” Hunk said. “I mean, it can’t be that hard for water to evolve as a dippable cheese and the plants to taste like chips.”

 

That startled a laugh out of Lance. “Maybe Pidge and the Olkari could design one.”

 

Hunk’s eyes widened and he froze, spork halfway to his mouth. “Dude. Don’t joke. I _will_ ask them _.”_

 

Lance opened his mouth and shut it again. “As ridiculous as it sounds, I kind of want to see if they can do it.”

 

“That’d be the most amazing thing in the universe,” Hunk said.

 

Lance nodded. “And if they can do that, imagine what else they could do!”

 

The next twenty minutes saw the beginnings of the Pretzel Planet, Pizza Planet, Chocolate Planet, Chicken Planet, Ham Planet, Carnivore’s Paradise, and Garlic Knots Planet.

 

They would have gone on longer, but the alarm went off.

 

Both of them groaned and sagged into the table before hurrying to get rid of their dishes and run up to the control room.

 

Xx

 

Something was wrong with the Paladins. Allura couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was definitely off. More than just exhaustion; her poor paladins had been going nonstop for three cycles now, mediating peace, breaking into prisons, anything and everything. They looked ready to drop most of the time, but they were always ready when she needed them. They weren’t even complaining about it.

 

Wait, not complaining?

 

“Princess Allura?” Lotor said, walking up next to her.

 

She jumped and turned to face him, losing her train of thought. “Lotor, hello. You can call me just Allura, you know.”

 

He smiled and dipped his head. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

They stood together in the doorway of the mansion on planet Centari. They were a large provider of gems and riches, the source of half the wealth in the surrounding systems, and planets were lining up to get in their trade agreements. Voltron had agreed to help sort the mess, and Lotor had come to offer his assistance as well. His knowledge had indeed been useful. Allura couldn’t even remember half the planets that had shown up.

 

“How’s your hand?” Allura asked.

 

He lifted it up and flexed the fingers. “I’m starting to forget it’s not my real hand, some days.”

 

“That’s good,” Allura said.

 

“And your eye?”

 

She sighed and crossed her arms. “I’m adjusting.”

 

He nodded, and they stood in awkward silence for a dobash. “I, um, I know it doesn’t do much good now, but, I wanted to apologize to you, on behalf of my father, for what happened to Altea.”

 

Her heart squeezed. Swallowing was hard. “You weren’t even alive.”

 

“No, but I think that was the one planet my father regretted destroying. He did it to try and show Alfor what it felt like, to convince him what he was doing was the only way.”

 

That sounded like Zarkon. She took a deep breath to calm her rage. It was done. Over. Getting mad wouldn’t solve anything. Lotor was an ally. She couldn’t punch him in the face, no matter how tempting.

 

“I’m making a mess of this,” Lotor said. “I just wanted to apologize to you, because I know what it feels like not to have a place to call home. I never knew mine, so it’s not exactly the same, but…I still wish I could see Gal, if only once.”

 

The rage flowed out of her. She smiled and shook her head. The castle-ship was amazing, and she’d spent more time in it than on Altea, probably (discounting the ten thousand years in cryo), but it wasn’t home. Home was juniberry flowers and green valleys between mountains, firestorms, the villages woven into the land around them.

 

She still had the halls she ran through as a little girl, but all the rest was gone.

 

What would it have been like to not have those fields at all? To have only grown up in the artificial halls?

 

“There’s nothing to be done about it now, I suppose,” Lotor went on. “Altea and Gal are gone forever. But there’s nothing that says we can’t make a new home for ourselves.”

 

She glanced over at him.

 

“I’ll need some place to send all the soldiers being discharged from the military we’re not going to need anymore, after all. So I’m looking for a planet to be the New Gal.”

 

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Allura said.

 

He shrugged. “It’s practicality.”

 

“Still, I’m sure the Galra will appreciate having a place to call home,” Allura said.

 

“What about you? Will you look for a new Altea?” Lotor asked.

 

Allura looked out over Centari. The gem forests stretched out before them, glimmering in the sunlight. “I don’t know.” She hadn’t thought about it. As much as she wanted a place to truly call home again, the other Alteans already had their planet. If anything, it made more sense to consider that New Altea.

 

Somehow, the idea wasn’t very appealing.

 

“I don’t know,” she repeated.

 

He put a hand on her shoulder as he turned to head back inside. “If you’d like me to scout planets for you, let me know.” He went back inside.

 

She stared at the forests. The Alteans already had their home. But it wasn’t home for her and Coran.

 

While she stood there, her thoughts circled around in a jumbled mess until ‘home’ and ‘paladins’ strung themselves together.

 

Her eyes widened.

 

That was what was weird about the paladins. They saved the universe three cycles ago and _none_ of them had breathed a word of going back to Earth. Not one.

 

Strange.

 

She turned on her heel to sort that out immediately. Why hadn’t any of them asked? They’d been clamoring to go home in the beginning, and she knew they were all homesick. Yes they had duties to the universe right now and it would be hard to arrange a trip back, but none of them had even asked. Or had she simply not been in the room?

 

The paladins were all gathered in the conference room still, Pidge and Lance sitting on the table, Shiro and Hunk in the chairs, Keith leaning against the wall. Lance froze with his hands in the air, in the middle of a story, at her entrance.

 

“What’s up, Princess?” Keith asked.

 

“I was just thinking it was strange that none of you have inquired about returning to Earth yet,” Allura said.

 

They glanced around at each other, eyes wide.

 

Lance leaned towards her. “Before I get my hopes up, are you saying we _can_ go home?”

 

“We have saved the universe,” Allura shrugged. “Sorting out all the nuances of their newfound freedom will take quite some time, but once things are settled, I’m sure we can arrange some vacation time.”

 

Their jaws were nearly on the floor.

 

“So, do you want to return to Earth?” Allura asked, grinning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because all you really want to see are the Earth reunions, right? 
> 
> I will do my best to have that up tomorrow, but it might take until Thursday. Free time is very limited right now.


	18. Swinging From the Stars We Were Reaching For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladins get to visit earth and it's emotional. Tears all around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other chapter title possibilities were: Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated and Quit Telling Everyone I'm Dead!  
> But this title fits in with the title of the fic, which is actually a song with an amazing Voltron AMV on Youtube and Swinging from the Stars is a line in the song. You should check it out. It's amazing.   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENAyGZDAvGA&index=1&list=PLZnAjqXUyXsxV7-LyrX_9jqB-JwKrv-WS

It had taken a few days; most of the universe was finding its new rhythm, and Allura and Lotor had set up a task force for disputes that left Voltron with some free time.

 

Which was good, because after pitching the idea, Shiro and the others had been getting impatient. They were ready to go home.

 

Shiro himself had been surprisingly jittery. He hadn’t seen his parents in almost two years. They thought he was dead. The looks on their faces would be priceless…

 

Of course, that was if they even recognized him.

 

That was when his train of thought derailed into a spiral of anxiety. Everyone had found him pacing and muttering to himself about the possibility of his parents rejecting him at least once. Keith found him most often. Keith probably looked for him most often.

 

It was no different this time. They were approaching the Milky Way, and the paladins had all gone to gather up the few belongings that had accumulated in their time out here, which was what triggered Shiro’s spiraling line of thought.

 

Keith came knocking on his door at some point. When Shiro didn’t answer, he let himself in. “Shiro, are you…that’d be a no.”

 

“They’re gonna hate me,” Shiro stated, chewing on his left thumbnail. He used to chew on his right when he was really anxious, but that was no longer an option. It felt weird.

 

“No they’re not,” Keith said. “They’re going to be so thrilled to see you’re alive, they’re not going to care about a few little scars.”

 

Shiro liked when Keith calmed him down. Keith never claimed the scars weren’t a big deal, like Hunk and Lance did. Keith admitted they were there. He acknowledged the major difference between who he was now and who left for Kerberos.

 

“Come on, let’s sit down and take some deep breaths,” Keith said, putting a hand on Shiro’s shoulder and pushing him down on the bed.

 

“I can’t face them, not like this, they’re not going to want to see me like this.” He stared at his hands, at the metal sitting in place of flesh.

 

Keith’s hand covered his prosthetic. “They’ll get over it. Now take a deep breath, there you go, hold it…and let it out, slowly.”

 

“I never asked, where did you learn to do this?” Shiro asked. It was odd knowledge for the hot head of the team to have.

 

“Various foster siblings had anxiety problems,” he shrugged. “I picked up on a few things.”

 

And then guilt tore Shiro. Here he was panicking about how his parents would react, when Keith didn’t even have parents to go back to.

 

“Take another breath,” Keith said. He furrowed his brow. “Why do you look guilty all of a sudden?”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“What for? Being nervous about seeing your parents again? I get it, you don’t have to be sorry,” Keith said.

 

Shiro shook his head. “You don’t have any family waiting for you.”

 

Keith went quiet. “No. My family is all right here, on this ship.”

 

“You should come with me to my parents. They’d love to meet you.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’ll go if you want me to, but I was planning on just staying on the ship while you guys do the family thing.”

 

“Lame,” Shiro decided. “Come with me.” He talked about Keith often enough while still being in the Garrison that they’d be thrilled to finally put a face to the name. And imagining them interacting kept him from imagining his own interactions with them.

 

“Okay,” Keith said. “If you insist.”

 

Shiro nodded. He took another deep breath. He’d calmed down now, at least.

 

“What’s our plan for when we land, anyway?” Keith asked. “Go straight to the Garrison or right to families or what?”

 

That was a dilemma. If they went to the Garrison, they’d probably be detained for who knew how long while the staff tried to understand the lions. That wouldn’t end well for anyone involved.

 

If they went right to their families, the Garrison would notice them immediately and come banging on their doors, demanding answers. That would scare their families and possibly end in disaster.

 

There was no way to enter Earth’s atmosphere without being noticed by the Garrison. So they needed a way to keep the Garrison from covering them up.

 

The beginnings of a plan formed in his mind, and he grinned.

 

“Shiro?” Keith asked. “Why are you smiling like that?”

 

“I have a plan. And the Garrison will never be able to cover up what happened again.”

 

Xx

 

Pidge liked Shiro’s plan. She liked it a lot. It would piss off the Garrison and leave them completely unable to do anything. It was amazing.

 

“I always thought the Eiffel Tower would be taller,” Lance said.

 

“And the oceans used to feel so much bigger,” Hunk added.

 

“The whole planet feels a lot smaller,” Pidge finished. It should have been expected after five-ish months in space. They’d grown accustomed to travelling entire galaxies in seconds; limiting themselves to one planet meant they were going in a lot of circles. Gravity kept the lions several notches away from top speed anyway, but Pidge felt like she was crawling as she flew over Canada. And she was still going back and forth in a matter of minutes.

 

“Let’s give it another twenty minutes,” Shiro said. “We want as many people as possible to see us.”

 

“I know, I know,” Pidge said.

 

“You’re doing great, Katie,” her dad said. He and Matt were in the cockpit with her. Allura and Coran were riding with Shiro. The castle was orbiting Jupiter right now, and they’d left Slav in charge. It was a questionable decision, but he was the only one who actually understood the rest of the universe right now. Romelle promised to help him, and it was what it was.

 

“I never realized Earth had so many different habitats,” Allura said in awe. “It’s amazing!”

 

“It’d be fascinating to study,” Coran added.

 

“We can get you some books,” Shiro offered.

 

“Will they be able to read English?” Keith asked.

 

“Or any Earth language?” Lance added.

 

Shiro was silent for a moment. “We’ll pick up some documentaries.”

 

The coastline came into view _again_ , and Pidge got ready to turn around. They were all flying lower than planes usually did, making sure people could see them. The Garrison would never be able to cover them up. Especially if they got Allura and Coran to the media first.

 

Pidge was very excited for that part.

 

Not as excited as she was about the next part of the plan, when they all landed together. Because they were landing in northern Arizona, outside of Viriqua, otherwise known as the city where one Mrs. Colleen Holt lived.

 

It was also only a few hours away from the Garrison, so they could deal with those losers and get them out of the way.

 

They landed outside of town in an empty stretch of land.

 

“Stay in the lions until people show up,” Shiro said. “We want to prove we were inside them.”

 

It was a long wait. Pidge bounced her leg.

 

Ten minutes later, the most curious started to creep out of town. A news van led the way, a camera man leaning out the open side door.

 

“That can’t be safe,” Hunk noted.

 

“But it’s so human,” Lance said, sniffling. “I think I’m going to cry.”

 

“You want to go on camera a sobbing mess?” Keith asked.

 

“Excuse you, I’m a beautiful crier,” Lance said. Any hint of crying was gone.

 

The van stopped a quarter of a mile away, and the camera man stepped out onto the road. A few police cars lined up around them, and civilians followed after.

 

Pidge didn’t spot her mother.

 

“Okay, we’re going to do this nice and slow, we don’t want to scare them,” Shiro said.

 

“Have your shields ready, in case they try shooting us,” Keith added.

 

“Wouldn’t they want to talk to you first?” Allura asked.

 

“Hopefully,” Shiro muttered. “Keith is right, keep your guard up.”

 

Pidge was out of her seat and leading the way to Green’s hatch. Her whole body shook, and she felt like she was going to throw up.

 

Green lowered her head and lowered the gangplank. It settled on the dirt, sending puffs of dust into the air.

 

“Should we have our hands up?” Matt asked. “I feel like we should have our hands up.”

 

“Just keep ‘em where they can see ‘em,” Sam said.

 

Pidge stepped onto the ground. _She was standing on Earth again_. She almost giggled.

 

Some of the police came forward, guns out and pointed at them.

 

They all gathered around in a group around Shiro, letting him step forward and take charge with Allura.

 

“We aren’t here to hurt you,” Shiro said. He lifted his helmet off. “I’m Takashi Shirogane, pilot of the Kerberos mission. Samuel and Matthew Holt are behind me.”

 

The police glanced at each other.

 

“As you can see, we’re not dead,” Shiro said.

 

The cameraman and another reporter hurried forward, despite the policemen’s protest. “Where have you been all this time?” the reporter asked. “And what are these…lions?”

 

“Well, you’re not going to believe this, but me and my crew were abducted by aliens,” Shiro said. He didn’t tell them the whole story, but he gave an abridged account of everything that had happened, ending with introductions of all the rest of them.

 

The camera stayed on Allura and Coran for a while. They pulled on their ears to show they were real, and shapeshifted for added convincing.

 

Pidge worried the cameraman would faint at that.

 

While Shiro talked, the crowd had crept closer, eliminating the gap that had been between them. The police had all put their guns down, and only a few paranoid types still held them at all. She and the other paladins tucked their helmets under their arms.

 

Everything was going great. And then the reporter asked, “Did the Galaxy Garrison know you were alive?”

 

“They knew something had happened, obviously,” Shiro said, giving a nervous laugh.

 

“And they knew about the existence of aliens,” Pidge declared. “They just never wanted to admit it. Their probes showed no signs of a crash anywhere on Kerberos, and their tech could easily pick up alien chatter. They knew.”

 

“Calm down, Katie,” Sam said.

 

Whispers started among the crowd, steadily growing louder.

 

“They lied to us?”

 

“How long have they known about aliens?”

 

“What else are they lying about?”

 

Keith grinned next to Pidge and offered a fist out to her. She happily pounded it.

 

“We should tear it down!”

 

“Yeah! Tear it down!”

 

Of course they ruined a good thing, Pidge groaned.

 

Sam stepped out. “Please, everyone, I know you’re upset, but the Garrison had its reasons. Knowing about the existence of aliens would only cause panic. Earth doesn’t have the kind of technology needed to keep up with what’s out there. There wasn’t anything you could do with that knowledge besides drive yourselves insane with fear.”

 

The crowd quieted down, but Pidge still saw a lot of unhappy faces.

 

“Instead of disbanding the Galaxy Garrison,” Sam went on, “We can alter the training programs to better prepare people for what’s actually out there. The Garrison can because our point of contact with the rest of the universe.”

 

The Garrison was going to love that, Pidge thought.

 

“Speaking of the Garrison,” Lance mumbled.

 

Pidge followed his line of sight and saw a few rovers speeding through the desert.

 

Another voice distracted her.

 

“Sam! Matt! _Katie!”_

 

“Mom!” Matt yelled. He ran to the crowd.

 

Pidge nearly gave herself whiplash turning around.

 

Her mother pushed her way through the crowd, still in her work clothes and pumps, make-up running on her face, mixing with her tears. When she cleared the crowd and saw her family running toward her, she fell to her knees and clapped her hands over her mouth.

 

Pidge sprinted.

 

Matt slammed to his knees, bad leg be damned and threw his arms around her. Pidge overtook her father and tackled her mother and brother. She didn’t know when she started crying.

 

Her mother peppered kisses all over her and her brother, and then her father’s arms were around all of them. Colleen kissed him deeply on the lips, letting go of Pidge and Matt for a moment to wrap her arms around Sam.

 

“I missed all of you so much,” she said. “You’re never leaving the house again, you hear me? Never.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” Sam said.

 

Pidge hugged her mom again. A hand came down to ruffle her hair. “And you, little missy, are _grounded until you die_.”

 

“Heh, heh,” Pidge laughed. “That’s fair.”

 

“And what happened to your leg?” she asked Matt, tapping lightly on the white brace.

 

“Um… bad injury. That’s permanent.”

 

“Oh, Matt.” She gathered him in her arms again.

 

There were a few more minutes of tears and crying, and then Sam said, “We’ll explain the whole story later, I’m going to help smooth things over with the Garrison.”

 

Oh, yeah. Pidge had totally forgotten they were here. “I should probably be over there, too.”

 

“We’ll all go,” Matt said, contorting himself and pushing himself up to his feet. He held a hand out to their mother.

 

She wiped off the worst of her running make-up on the underside of her blouse before taking his hand. She took Pidge’s hand in her other one, and they all walked over.

 

Thankfully, almost everything had been sorted by the time Pidge joined in. The Garrison agreed to become the new point of contact for Earth and the rest of the universe, even going so far as to allow future alien ambassadors a place to stay. In exchange, Allura and Coran were leaving some of their tech for the Garrison to play with. While Voltron was here, they’d set up long-range communication devices so they’d be able to stay in contact.

 

It also meant the paladins would be able to call their families when they inevitably went back up into space.

 

There was talk of adding earth to some trading routes, but they’d need to discuss that with world leaders first.

 

It was all going better than Pidge had hoped. Iverson looked actually proud of them, instead angry and brooding like usual. He even hugged Shiro.

 

The Garrison wasn’t done with them, not by a long shot, but once they handled everything they could by just talking the paladins were finally freed.

 

Relatively speaking.

 

A handful of reporters were waiting for them when they turned around.

 

“Aw man, so much for going home tonight,” Lance complained.

 

His statement was correct, but not because they were going to be endlessly interviewed that night. That would all happen the next day. The different news stations had paid for a few hotel rooms for them all in Viriqua, in exchange for exclusive interviews the next day.

 

“Well, we wanted to get the word out,” Shiro shrugged. “If we do them all tomorrow, maybe we’ll be left alone the rest of the time we’re here.”

 

Somehow Pidge doubted that, but she already had her family together so she didn’t particularly care. Hunk and Lance seemed a little dejected, but they put on brave faces.

 

And so off to the hotel they went.  The lions stayed where they were, particle barriers activated and blending into one another, which distracted the crowd while the Paladins vanished.

 

The best part of the night? Ordering pizza for dinner. Pidge groaned and rolled her eyes back in pure delight. The gooey cheese, the fluffy dough…it was _delicious_.

 

They gave Colleen the PG version of the story, downplaying the life-threatening bits, while they ate. She was staying at the hotel with them, which Pidge wouldn’t have had any other way anyway.

 

It was one of the best nights of her life.

 

Xx

 

After the excitement of the day before, morning came far, _far_ too early for Keith’s liking. He was not alone in this sentiment.

 

 “Coffee coffee coffee,” Pidge muttered, sinking into the chair with her hands wrapped around a Styrofoam cup. She had a blissed out smile on her face.

 

“You’re going to stunt your growth,” Matt said, wrinkling his nose. “Look at me. I should totally have been five inches taller.”

 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Hunk said.

 

“And do you think I care even if it is?” Pidge asked.

 

Matt sighed and shook his head.

 

Keith glanced at Shiro and shared a huff of laughter. Right now, they were waiting for the first of the interviews to start in one of the conference rooms in the hotel. They’d raided the continental breakfast already, and Pidge had taken a cup of joe to go.

 

“Why are we here so early again?” Lance asked. “I totally could have slept for another twenty minutes.” He glared at Hunk.

 

“You wouldn’t be this tired if you’d gone to bed on time last night,” Hunk said.

 

“How could I go to bed when we’re on Earth?! I was too excited to sleep!”

 

“Channel that excitement now to keep you awake,” Hunk stated, wholly unsympathetic.

 

Lance pouted.

 

There was a knock on the door, and then a middle-aged man in a blue polo and khakis let himself in.

 

“Hi, uh, you’re the...the um...”

 

“The ones who flew the giant robot lions around, yes,” Matt said, waving a hand through the air.

 

The man grinned. “Excellent. My name is Stephen, I’m with Washington Post.” He closed the door behind him and took a seat at the table, pulling a camera, a recorder, and a tablet out of his messenger bag. “I guess we’ll do introductions first? And who flies which lion?”

 

And that set the dull tone for the rest of the day. They answered simple questions like that over and over, explaining their story to every newspaper representative who came in.

 

We should have just met with them all at once, like a press conference or something, Keith thought sometime around two in the afternoon. The hotel had given them their own pot of coffee, and it had been refilled twice already. He had his own cup in front of him, and the dark liquid was much more interesting than listening to Allura and Coran explain how their ship was both a castle and a ship for the sixth time.

 

Things got much more interesting when the current interviewer got a phone call. He ignored it the first time, but the second time he checked the caller ID. “Damn, it’s my boss. Let me tell him I’m still here.” He answered it, getting up from the table. “Hey Jerry, Listen I’m still—yeah, there is. No way, really? Yeah, I’ll give it to him.” Then the interviewer did the strangest thing. He walked over and handed his phone to Keith. “Your dad is on the line, seems really insistent he talk to you. Guess he missed you.”

 

Keith took the phone and narrowed his eyes at it. “That’s freaking impossible.” He’d see what lowlife was trying to get himself fifteen minutes of fame, if only because he was dying of boredom.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Keith?” a man asked. He had hints of a southern accent. Whoever this was had done their research, which was creepy. “Is this Keith?”

 

“Yeah, this is Keith. Who the hell are you?”

 

The man on the other end laughed. “Don’t recognize your old man’s voice?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “My old man is dead, so no.” Half the table dropped their jaws, and the reporter looked like he was about to wet his pants.

 

“Yeah, not so much. I’m as alive as you, buddy.”

 

“And why should I believe you are who you say you are?”

 

“When you were four I took you stargazing and explained the constellations to you, and you decided you were going to be an astronaut.”

 

Keith stayed quiet, but his pulse beat a little faster. That was true.

 

“You found a snake’s nest when you were five and I nearly had a heart attack when I found you in the middle of it.”

 

Also true. Keith swallowed.

 

“You ate nothing but peanut butter and jelly when you were five, you hated bath time and getting wet in general, and you dognapped the Harrison’s dog when you were six because you really wanted a dog.”

 

Those were all true. All of it. Every word was true.

 

The man on the line was actually his father.

 

Holy quiznak his father was alive?

 

It was more than he could process at the moment. He didn’t think about it, but the next thing he knew he’d ended the call and tossed the phone onto the table in front of him. He stared at the phone. He was trembling.

 

The reporter picked up the phone. “I am so sorry, I had no idea he wasn’t who he said he was, he seemed like just a concerned parent.”

 

Keith’s mouth was dry. “No, he...he was. Is.”

 

“You just said your father’s dead, how could that be him?” Lance asked.

 

“I...I thought he was,” Keith said. “He up and vanished when I was seven, what else was I supposed to think?”

 

“I’m sorry, what?” Hunk asked. “Where did he go?”

 

Keith shook his head. “I don’t know. Never did.” He looked at the phone again. He’d spent most of his life thinking his father was dead; that was easier than thinking he’d been abandoned. Now he didn’t know what to think. If his father wasn’t dead, then what happened? Had he abandoned Keith? If that was the case, why call now? Just for the associated fame?

 

He held his hand out for the phone again. “Can I call him back?”

 

The reporter nodded and handed over the phone. There was an awkward moment where he had to take it back to put in the passcode, and then he had to take it back again to pull up the call history, call his boss, and get his boss to call the man back. Then Keith took the phone and stepped away from the table, turning his back to the faces of his team.

 

“Keith?” his father asked.

 

“What the hell happened to you? Where have you been? Why call now?” Keith spat out.

 

“You’re mad,” his father stated.

 

“Ya think?” Keith snarled.

 

 “You have every reason to be, I didn’t mean to get lost as long as I did and by the time I found my way back you’d been put in foster care, and I don’t know...I thought it would be better for you.”

 

“Have you ever heard of foster care?” Keith demanded. His free hand trembled in a fist at his side. “I went through hell, just because you got lost for a few weeks?”

 

“I figured once I found what I was looking for I would come get you, but then years went by and I lost track of you.” He sounded upset about it.

 

Keith was having a hard time sympathizing with his father, his own emotions clouding his mind. “Lost track of me?” he repeated. So his father had known, for a while at least, exactly where Keith was?

 

“It turned out for the better-“

 

Keith slammed his fist into the wall so hard a picture fell off it’s hook. “I thought you were dead!” He didn’t stop shaking. He choked on a sob and his vision went blurry. He stepped forward and leaned his head against the wall. “I thought you were dead...”

 

“Oh, buddy...”

 

Keith did his best to stifle the rest of his sobs, but a few choked sounds escaped.

 

“Listen, I think the rest of this conversation should be done in person,” his father said. “If you’re willing to meet with me.”

 

As angry at his father as he was, Keith wanted nothing more. If only for the satisfaction of punching the man in the face himself. “Yeah. Tell me where.”

 

After giving Keith an address, they ended the call. Keith wiped his face before turning around to face the gawking expressions on everyone. He handed the phone to the reporter. “Um...thanks.”

 

The reporter took the phone and grinned. “Are you kidding? You’ve just given me the biggest edge on the story over all the competition! Who else can say they helped facilitate a meeting between a paladin and their estranged father?”

 

“You make me out to be a pansy and I will find you and I will hurt you,” Keith stated.

 

“That’s fair,” the reporter said. He returned to his seat and picked up his pen again. “I’d actually love to do a follow-up story with all of you and your families, if you’d be willing. We can do those over the phone in about a week?”

 

While they worked out more details, Keith took his seat next to Shiro again.

 

“You okay?” Shiro asked, softly, just for Keith to hear.

 

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know if I should be happy or pissed off.”

 

“I think a mixture of both is valid,” Shiro said.

 

Keith huffed out a laugh. “It’s a really weird feeling.”

 

The reporter interrupted before more could be said. “Now, Shiro, where do you call home?”

 

Xx ( _Just assume all the dialogue is in Spanish for this part. I’m not going to insult the culture by running everything through Google translate)_

 

After the lame day of reporters asking the same questions over and over, it was finally, finally time for the paladins to temporarily split up and visit their families. Like everyone else, Lance had offered to go with Keith to meet his dad for emotional support and all that, but he wasn’t disappointed when Keith insisted on going alone. That meant Lance could go to his family that much sooner.

 

And he was not wasting any time. He was the first one in his lion and he gauged a few trenches in the ground in his haste to take-off. He did not feel that badly about it.

 

His leg bounced the whole trip. Not that it was a long trip; at top speed Blue could have had him there in seconds. Lance took his time though, so it took him ten minutes. Plus Cuba looked a lot different from the sky, so pinpointing Varadero beach took him another two minutes. He went ahead and landed on the sand.

 

The beachgoers crowded around blue to welcome him. He recognized a couple of them, and he spent a few minutes saying hello and getting hugged. They were quick to let him move on though, and he ran into town.

 

His parents’ house was four blocks from the beach. He was tackled by nieces and nephews three blocks away, and they went down in a mess of yelling and tears.

 

“Uncle Lance, you’re back!”

 

“We missed you!”

 

“Were you really in space?”

 

He sat up and grinned at his three youngest nieces and nephew. “I missed you all too, you have no idea! And yes, I really was in space. How cool am I now?”

 

“The coolest!” Benji yelled, tackling him again.

 

“Lance!” more people yelled. He looked up from the kids to see his the rest of his family gathered on the sidewalk in front of him. First and foremost was his mother, still wearing her apron and clutching a dish towel.

 

He couldn’t breathe. Benji glanced between the two before subtlety scooting off of Lance’s lap. Lance swallowed the rock in his throat and stood up on shaky legs.

 

“Hi, Mama, I’m home.”

 

It was hard to say who started crying first and who hugged the other first. Lance didn’t care. His mother’s hugs were still the best.

 

He got passed from family member to family member, had his hair ruffled, and got punched a few times by his older siblings. All of his extended family was there as well. Apparently after seeing him on the news the previous day they congregated at his parents’ house to prepare to welcome him home.

 

“We’ve been cooking all day,” his aunt Camilia said.

 

“The house smells _awesome_ ,” little neice Dora said.

 

“Oh yeah? I can’t wait,” Lance said, reaching down to scoop her into his arms. She was a little big for it now, going on seven years, but he’d put on some decent muscle in space.

 

“Let’s go home,” his mama said, grabbing onto his arm.

 

 _Home_ , Lance thought. He was finally home.

 

Xx

 

Shiro hitchhiked to his parents’ house. To be fair, they lived in the suburbs and there wasn’t a good place to park his giant robot lion. Not without drawing a huge crowd, and after the media storm yesterday and this morning he was done with that. He just wanted to get home.

 

So he left Black lying down in a grassy field and walked to a highway, and then he stuck his thumb out. They were more than willing to bring him to his house once they saw who he was. All the payment they asked for was a selfie.

 

Lance was right; humans were amazing.

 

Not coming in Black also gave him the advantage of sneaking up on his parents, in a way. They didn’t know he was walking up their porch.

 

The dog barking inside gave him away though, and they opened the door before he could even knock.

 

“ _Takashi!_ ” His mother came flying out the door and tackled him off the porch back into the lawn. And then a slobbering pit bull was sniffing at his face a running a wet nose all over him.

 

“Hi, mom,” Shiro said. He barely forced the words out.

 

His mother’s answer was a loud sob in his ear and arms tightening around him. The dog tried to force its way between them.

 

Carefully, Shiro maneuvered the two of them so they were sitting up, his much smaller mother in his lap. She pulled back to look at him, eyes first at his scar, then his hair, and then she looked down at the metal arm and sobbed again. She reached a hand out to pick his up. “Oh my baby boy, what did they _do_ to you?”

 

“It, uh, it was a bit of a rough trip,” he said. “Where’s Dad?”

 

“Picking up dinner. We ordered from your favorite Chinese place. General Tso’s, and a bag full of eggrolls.”

 

Shiro’s mouth watered at the thought.

 

“Come on, I was clearing off the table. Are you thirsty?” She stood up, but she never let go of his hand. The dog danced around Shiro’s feet.

 

Inside the house was mostly as he remembered it. There was a picture of him over the fire place now and a few candles underneath, and the lamp in the corner was different. The walls were light green instead of tan, but all the furniture was the same.

 

“Your room is still upstairs,” his mother said, finally letting go of his hand when they reached the kitchen. “We’ve started going through it, but…it was hard. We could never get very far.”

 

He hugged her again. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to be gone for so long.” And it would crush her when he said he’d have to leave again. But hopefully for not as long, and definitely not without regular contact. Pidge was overseeing the new communications outpost, so he had high hopes.

 

His father came home while they were still hugging, and Shiro went through the tearful reunion with him, too. It felt good to be home. So, so good. Why had he been so nervous? Of course his parents wouldn’t think he was a monster. He’d been ridiculous.

 

And the Chinese food? He almost cried again because it tasted so good. Earth food was _so, so good_. He didn’t want to pack clothes or books, he wanted to pack food. Lots and lots of food. The Alteans must have a way of preserving it for super long periods of time…

 

He’d ask Coran next time he saw him. For now, he was going to enjoy his dinner and then sit between his parents on the couch, telling them the PG version of his adventures. And then he’d sleep in his old room, and at some point he’d ask about this dog he doesn’t remember, but for right now, he was content.

 

Xx

 

Keith didn’t do emotions. They were confusing and made him nauseas. He almost turned around five times on the way to his father. If his dad hadn’t been standing right on the edge of the town, waiting for Keith, it might have been six times. As it was, Keith almost didn’t get out of the lion.

 

But that was his father, _alive_ , and the little eight year old Keith who had dreamed every night of his father coming to the foster home to take him away was still inside him, and he sprinted out of Red.

 

The years hadn’t been very kind to his father. He was thin and haggard, hair completely gray and dozens of wrinkles around his face. It was such a contrast from how Keith remembered him, how he’d even appeared in the weird vision at the Blade of Marmora.

 

“Keith,” his dad breathed, running forward to close the distance between them.

 

Keith indulged his eight year old self. He hugged his dad with everything he had, burying his face in his shoulder to hide the tears he couldn’t quite suppress.

 

“Oh, Keith,” his dad said. “Look at you, all grown up.”

 

And that was his cue to indulge his thirteen year old self, the one that had accepted his father was never coming and turned his anger against the world.

 

He pushed his father away and slugged him in the arm. “You better have one hell of an explanation for where you’ve been all this time.”

 

His father yelped and rubbed his arm. “I do, I swear, just…promise to hear me out?”

 

Keith crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”

 

His dad took a deep breath. “Okay. I was looking for your mother.”

 

“My alien mother?” Keith raised a brow.

 

“So you do know about that, heh.” His dad scratched his cheek.

 

“What makes you think you’ll find her on Earth?” Keith demanded.

 

“Well, I wasn’t looking for her, exactly. I was looking for the ship she came in. When she left, she was picked up in another ship, one that worked. I hoped if I could find the ship, I might be able to get it working again, and either find her or get her a message or something.”

 

“And in nineteen years you never found it?” Keith asked.

 

“No, I found it a few years ago. Too many animals had gotten in by that point though and the whole thing was worthless. And you’d moved foster homes again but I didn’t know where.”

 

Keith shook his head. “Unbelievable. So what happened twelve years ago? You know, when you left me alone in the cabin for a week?” Arguably the worst week in Keith’s life, but there were a lot of close seconds so it was hard to declare a real winner.

 

His dad winced. “That was an accident, I swear. I misjudged where I was in the desert and got myself all turned around. And I took a bad fall and gave myself a nasty concussion and couldn’t walk for a few days. Had to cut open some cacti for water, and you know what that does to you. Took me a month and a half to finally make it home, and then I collapsed and slept for two days and ate everything in the kitchen.”

 

“How long did it take you to realize I wasn’t there?” Keith asked. He struggled to keep his voice even.

 

His dad shook his head. “I didn’t think it was weird. I’d convinced myself you were with the Harrisons, being properly looked after. When I went to pick you up and they told me what happened, they swore you were better off in foster care.”

 

Keith snorted. His impressive detention record and terrible social skills proved otherwise.

 

“Keith, you have to believe me, I thought I was doing the right thing. I was a liability, child services would never have let you come home with me.”

 

“Yeah, well, at least I’d have known you were alive then.”

 

He winced again. “I never realized that was the explanation you’d give yourself.”

 

“What else was I going to think?” Keith demanded.

 

“I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “I guess…I just wanted to believe so strongly that I was doing the right thing, I didn’t let myself think of how it might not be.”

 

Keith took a deep breath and looked away, glaring out at the horizon. They were on the edge of a desert town, not the one he’d grown up near, but another similar one. Some people were creeping up on the edge of town, but they seemed to have realized there was personal conversation happening and were leaving them to it. Keith appreciated that.

 

“I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” his dad said. “I wouldn’t forgive me if I were you. But it’s not too crazy for me to ask for it anyway, is it?”

 

Keith wanted to laugh. Forgiveness? His father abandoned him to foster care. He’d gone through years of hell in the system, bouncing around from place to place feeling like no one wanted him.

 

 _And it shaped you into who you are today_ , Red said. _It led you down the path to becoming my paladin_.

 

Keith had to think that idea over for a few moments. _Damn it, why’d you have to say that? How am I supposed to be mad at him now?_

_You don’t want to be in the first place_ , Red stated.

 

Maybe not, but anger was a shield. It kept the other confusing emotions at bay.

 

He shook his head and tilted his face up to the sky, taking a deep breath through his nose. “I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive you yet, but…I’ve got some time before we head back up there, if you want to…catch up, and stuff.”

 

His dad smiled. “I’d like that.”

 

This was going to be an awkward two weeks, wasn’t it?

 

Xx

 

Hunk started crying before he even landed. He couldn’t wait to see his family, and his hometown looked exactly the same. It was _home_.

 

He landed yellow in a large field behind an old church. His family could probably see it from their house if they were looking out the front window. Though, if he knew his family, they were probably baking up a welcome home feast.

 

Mmm, he could smell the pineapple ham and graham cracker pie already.

 

His feet carried him along well-known sidewalks. It felt like he’d been gone for so long, and yet not very long at all.

 

He took a moment outside his house to breathe it all in. Dark blue paneling, a row of sunflowers under the bedroom windows, two wicker chairs on either side of a large wildflower planter. The same as ever.

 

The door opened and his little sister came running out. “Hunk!”

 

“Mia!” He scooped her up and swung her around. At twelve years old, she was already taller than Pidge.

 

“Is that Hunk?” his mama asked.

 

Two women came to the door; Hunk put Mia down and faced them. “Mom, Mama, I’m home!”

 

“Oh baby!” his Mom said. They both charged down the lawn and squished him between them.

 

The tears hadn’t stopped since he’d landed, and they certainly didn’t stop now. He was right where he wanted to be.

 

“We missed you so much!” Mama said.

 

“Were you really out in space?” Mom asked.

 

“Where’s that yellow lion?” Mia demanded.

 

Hunk laughed and wiped his face. Turning around, he pointed to the yellow particle barrier just visible over the houses. “The field behind St. Mark’s was the only place big enough.”

 

Mia’s eyes sparkled. “Can you take me for a ride?”

 

He laughed and rubbed her head. “Sure, sure. But after dinner, okay? I’m craving earth food. You would not believe what aliens think food is. It was terrible.”

 

His moms laughed. “Come on, the ham is in the oven.”

 

_He knew it!_

 

He put an arm around each of his mother’s shoulders and they walked inside. It smelled like home.

 

It was so good to be home.

 

He told them all the PG version of the story while they ate, and as promised after dinner they all went for a spin in Yellow. Mia couldn’t stop bouncing in excitement.

 

The evening was perfect. Hunk wouldn’t trade it for the world.

 

He just wished every day of their break could have been like that. The very next day, Allura, who had stayed at the Garrison with Coran to iron out details of Earth’s new space knowledge, called.

 

The FBI wanted to speak with Voltron. And then they had to meet with the President. And then the United Nations, and dozens of other important world leaders. Every day they had another interview or ten. They even had a PR agent now to help them manage it all.

 

Which, okay, Hunk thought that was kind of awesome. They were _famous_. They were celebrities. They never got the parade Lance kept hoping for, but it was enough to come home to his family and hear about Mia’s day at school and his moms’ days at work.

 

They spent two weeks on Earth, and then the universe called for Voltron. Not a dire emergency, they had an hour to pack up and leave and say goodbye. Special communicators were left behind with every family (Lance left behind three since his family was so gosh darn _big_ (and truth be told he fully expected them to lose or break the first one)).

 

It was a teary goodbye, but it wasn’t for forever. They’d be back.

 

“Besides, the really life threatening parts are over and done with,” Hunk shrugged. “We’re mainly negotiating peace treaties now.”

 

Mia sniffled and rubbed her arm over her face. “I want to go with you,” she said.

 

He ruffled her hair. “Graduate high school first, okay, and then we’ll see.”

 

“But that’s another three years!” she whined. “And what do I need a diploma in space for?”

 

“You’re getting a diploma,” his mom said.

 

Mia sighed and crossed her arms.

 

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Hunk said. He gave them all one more hug, and then he forced himself to board Yellow. He had tons of clothes and books and some movies, and his own laptop stashed in the cockpit. He was going prepared this time.

 

He tried not to watch his family getting smaller and smaller as he left them behind. It was just like leaving for the Garrison, he told himself. There might not be scheduled breaks, he might be gone for longer stretches of time, but he’d be back. He’d see them again.

 

“Hey Hunk!” Pidge said, flying up next to him.

 

“Pidge!” he greeted. “What did your dad decide to do?”

 

“He stayed on Earth with the Garrison,” Matt said, hovering over Pidge’s shoulder in the camera.

 

Sam had been debating what he should do for the past week. He didn’t want to split the family up again, but he was also the best person to help the Garrison navigate all their new tech.

 

“He’ll be able to keep Mom sane, at least,” Pidge said. “She almost locked me in the basement.”

 

“She did not,” Matt rolled his eyes.

 

“She was thinking about it,” Pidge stated.

 

Matt smiled and shook his head.

 

The castle came into view and they landed, and then Hunk unloaded everything he’d packed. A few Alteans came down to help him carry it all to his room. While he did that, Lance, Shiro, and Keith arrived. Keith had picked up Allura and Coran, being the closest to the Garrison.

 

He also had his father.

 

Keith shifted awkwardly while he introduced him. “This is my dad.”

 

Eyes narrowed on all the paladins.

 

Hunk didn’t like the guy. From what he’d gleaned from Keith’s half of the phone call the other week, this was a terrible parental figure responsible for at least ninety percent of Keith’s trust and anger issues.

 

“Call me Kevin.” He smiled and waved at them all.

 

“And he’s here because…” Lance prompted. He looked like he was on the same train of thought as Hunk was. Pidge and Shiro did too, actually.

 

Kevin slung an arm around Keith’s shoulders, which Keith frowned at but allowed. “You think I’m letting him out of my sight again?”

 

“You just wanted to come to space,” Keith stated. “You also think you can find my mother.”

 

Kevin shrugged. “Can’t deny those didn’t factor into my decision.”

 

“And you had how many gambling debts, again?” Keith asked, looking up at his father with amusement.

 

Wait, amusement? Hunk scrutinized Keith’s face. Yep, definitely amusement. Aw man, they were going to have one of those weird father/son relationships that Hunk was never going to understand. Which, considering the twelve year estrangement, fair.

 

“We can talk with Kevin later,” Allura said. “We came back for a reason, remember? Now suit up and get in your lions.”

 

Hunk was surprised to find he’d missed this. The adrenaline rush of sprinting to his lion and the thrill of taking off into space…nothing compared.

 

Maybe it would be nice to stay on Earth with fewer interviews, maybe it’d be nice if the universe didn’t need Voltron so much, but maybe this wouldn’t be forever.

 

There was a lot they needed to fix, a lot that needed to be sorted through and decided on. So many planets still needed help rediscovering who they were without the Empire, and too many people were reveling in their freedom just a little too much. But things would get better.

 

“I got to say,” Shiro started. “It feels really good to be back.”

 

“Yeah, next time we vacation can we do less interviews?” Lance asked. “That was hardly a vacation!”

 

“Works for me,” Shiro agreed. “Now, let’s make sure we still got it. Form Voltron!”

 

It was familiar. It was comforting. Being here, with them, was as much his home as his sister and moms.

 

Hunk took a deep, content breath. Yeah, this was home, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Jazz Hands-   
> And that's a wrap! Thanks so much to everyone who's stuck with me from the beginning, and to all of you who left comments on every or almost every chapter, YOU'RE THE GREATEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD I LOVE YOU.   
> I hope you all enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> Things are not off to a great start for our poor paladins. But Water Bender Lance! Everyone wants water bender Lance. You just don't know it yet.


End file.
